Where Do You Shine your Spotlight?

thanksgiving day 2

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

“Dwelling on your problems doesn’t fix them; it just makes you an expert at them.”  -Tommy Newberry.

 

  • Call your prayer partner for your 10-minute prayer call. Keep trying to connect until you get to pray together. This tiny habit of praying with a friend regularly will truly change your life!
  • Start your day with a special quiet time of prayer, Scripture reading and listening for the Lord to speak to your heart. Ask the Lord to speak to you specifically about loving others well. Take the time to light a candle, and get something delicious to sip during your quiet time today.
  • Read 1 Peter 4:8 and  Philippians 4:8. Write both of these powerful verses in your journal. Record them on your phone recording device and write them on your bathroom mirror in dry erase marker, so you see them each day. Do what you can to memorize these powerful verses.

Where Do You Shine your Spotlight?

When you think about a particular friend or family member, do you see their annoying habits or the good aspects of their personality? Do they constantly agitate you or are you able to see past their faults and love them anyway?

We all have a spotlight with which we use to focus on the good or the not so good aspects of the people and situations of our lives. Our thoughts and attention go to where we focus – for better or for worse.

With the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays approaching, do you find yourself filled with joy or dread at the thought of spending time with certain people? Are there family members, in-laws, or friends who drive you crazy, get on your nerves, or who you honestly can’t stand to be around?

Perhaps you feel disappointed or sad because of unwanted distance with a loved one.

Maybe you feel offended.

The holidays are joy-filled times indeed, but for some of us, they can be challenging. This time of year often serves as a reminder of broken relationships, unmet expectations, or just plain sadness.

What’s a Help Club for Moms Mama to do?

As usual, I believe the Lord wants us Mamas to come to Him with our bitterness, burdens, and our sadness; He wants us to focus on His goodness and His everlasting, healing word.

When we go to God’s word, we read things like:

Be content (Hebrews 13:5, Philippians 4:11)

Love one another deeply (1 Peter 4:8)

Forgive (Colossians 3:13, Ephesians 4:32)

Get rid of all bitterness (Ephesians 4:31)

Be thankful (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Count  your blessings  (Psalm 118:1, Ephesians 5:20, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

It all boils down to focusing on Jesus and the Scriptures, praying and then doing what you can to walk by faith, ESPECIALLY in the area of relationships. Do what Philippians 4:8 says and think true, excellent, loving thoughts as much as possible. Refuse to think bitter, resentful, critical or unkind thoughts.

Pray and ask God to help you think like Jesus, love like Jesus, and forgive like Jesus. Assume the best as much as possible. Pray to see people’s hearts and ask God to help you to love them like He does, and see them the way He sees them. Spotlight the good!

Where’s YOUR spotlight? When you look at others what do you see?

Questions to Ponder: Write the answers to these questions in your journal.  

  • Pray and ask God for three positive qualities about each person who you will see this Thanksgiving.
  • Ask God to fill you with His love for each and every one of them.
  • Pray for them to come to know Jesus if they don’t already, and pray for God to bring them joy this holiday season.
  • Ask God to show you how to be a blessing to them this week.  Write it down in your journal, and keep praying this week for a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Faith-Filled Ideas

  • Buy a small bunch of flowers for your table if you are hosting the meal. Get small vases and arrange the flowers to make the table more inviting. If you are going to someone’s home for dinner, bring a lovely inexpensive bouquet of flowers as a thank-you gift for the hostess.
  • Purchase a thank-you note and write a lovely note to the host and hostess of your Thanksgiving meal.
  • Be a blessing this Thanksgiving! Offer to help clean up and do it! Stay in the kitchen until the last plate is clean.
  • Make sure to say “thank-you” many times for the meal and as you are leaving. Highlight your favorite part of the meal. Be generous with your kind words!

Thanksgiving 1

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Deb Weakly

12 Comments on “Where Do You Shine your Spotlight?”

  1. Such a great reminder to choose to focus on the good things during this Holiday season! Thanks Deb!

  2. This is such encouraging advice Deb! It is heart changing for me! I love the faith filled ideas too! Thank you!!!

  3. I just love all the verses you listed in this study! They are so good to remember not only this time of year, but year-round =) Thank you Deb!

    1. Thanks so much Kristall!! God is so great to give us His word! What a gift! Where would we be without His word and presence in our lives? Lost. Utterly lost. I appreciate you Kristall!

  4. Think, Love, and Forgive like Jesus. Such simple words with such a powerful impact. I think I will put those words up somewhere in my house as encouragement over the stressful holiday season. Thank you so much for this encouragement Deb! Powerful.

    1. Thank YOU so much for your wonderful encouragement to me Brandi! I am so honored to know you and to watch you walk by faith with your beautiful family. You are so wise. I am so proud of you!!

  5. Wow! This is so good and just what I needed to read this morning. Thank you Deb! I especially loved this part, “Pray and ask God to help you think like Jesus, love like Jesus, and forgive like Jesus. Assume the best as much as possible. Pray to see people’s hearts and ask God to help you to love them like He does, and see them the way He sees them.” This is how I have been praying for awhile towards my family but it is not always easy! Thank you for this reminder.

    Something I also do to prepare for a long visit with family is to come as a united front with my husband. We have always had small struggles with each other’s parents and if the two of us are angry with each other and take sides, it never ends well. We discuss what we love about each other’s parents and both ask each other for small allowances if that makes sense. Because you always naturally defend your own family, ya know? Love you Deb! 🙂

    1. You are so wise Rachel! Really, really wise! Being one with your husband is super important in every area of our lives. A loving family takes LOTS of work and prayers, but you are a testimony to the fact that it IS possible! Believing God in faith to help keep our families close and then walking in that faith in love and acceptance is the key. Satan would love nothing more than to destroy our families and all the work that God wants to do through them. There will never be perfect families until the day we get to heaven. Until then, we pray, believe and love. Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom. 🙂

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