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Sunday, November 23, 2014

Being Thankful: A Secret Ingredient to Happiness

It seems that for many, the search for happiness is an endless endeavor that leads them to countless types of attempts to obtain, each resulting in more thorns and thistles than fruit and nutrition. In truth, although happiness is more of a delusion of society than it is a tangible object, the scriptures lead us to a deeper sense of fulfillment through Christ, which leads us to the ever so coveted state of happiness. However, happiness isn’t so much of a thing that we can acquire, rather it is something of which we already behold.

One of the most essential ingredients of happiness is gratitude. Gratitude, a simple emotion with a spiritually powerful impact and numerous medical health benefits, requires one to be humble, accepting of their circumstances for what they are, while making emotional room for the unmet expectations, preferences or jealousy of what others seem to have in their life.

Research consistently shows that those who routinely practice the art of gratitude, experience life more optimistic, less self-centered with a greater sense of self-esteem, and a deeper spiritual walk without a strong need for materialism or worldly affairs.  Other key benefits of gratitude are a healthier immune system, a higher quality of sleep and relaxation, improved confidence, creativity and sense of connection to others.

So what are different ways to practically practice gratitude in our lives. To begin with, one can begin to simply notice the everyday opportunities in their life where they could practice (or pretend) to be thankful. In fact, a five-minute a day gratitude journal can increase your long-term well-being by more than 10%.

Other ways to grow in the spirit of gratitude is to maintain a larger perspective of life. We often times evaluate our life based on “what we don’t have” and “how far we have yet to go” in our journey through life. When we truly embrace the gift of gratitude we begin to take into account more of what we do have to offer and the gifts we have already been given. One question I try to remind myself of is “whose dream are you living?” If we stop to think of it, every one of us has at least a handful of realities that others in this community, country, and especially world would love to have. Whether it be two working legs, a sound mind, a healthy family, or simply a computer screen to read this article on , we all have been abundantly blessed in ways that we so easily overlook. Jesus was very clear on this point when he spoke in The Beatitudes during His Sermon on the Mount. I would highly recommend a variety of devotionals and study guides that help you personally connect to The Beatitudes in a deeper and more meaningful way.

In closing, as we prepare for this Thanksgiving Day celebration, I personally challenge and purposefully pray that each of you genuinely reflect on the blessings and gifts that Our Loving Father has granted each of you. And may we all learn to truly speak from our hearts a loud giving of thanks!

Justin





Sunday, November 2, 2014

Bad Parenting Advice…with a Twist



Throughout time, there has always been an abundance of “free” parenting advice offered to those looking for it. Whether it is from a good intending family member, or from a popular comedy sitcom, any “free advice” usually comes at a real world cost of applying it. As a Christian family therapist, I have seen and heard of all sorts of “personal solutions” that some indeed are effective, but perhaps may be ill-advised for others to try. So, instead of writing about a list of techniques that have been thoroughly researched (see Love and Logic resources) or providing a sermon on God’s Word about parenting (see proverbs), I would like to offer you an effective twist on one piece of “bad parenting” advice:

               Commit to always say yes to your children!!!…..even while saying no to their requests or preferences or choices.

I’m serious, just think about how many times you say no first to your children during their daily interactions such as dinner time, or bed time, at the grocery store, or if I even dare…the toy store!?!?!?!

The issue is that starting with a “no”, is like zapping them emotionally, which causes a release of cortisol, adrenaline and other “fight, flight, or freeze” reactions in their brain, which makes them much more likely to be resistant and protest or eventually they begin to resign from even trying because they constantly feel unloved or unable to get their needs met.

However, starting with a  “yes” allows them to feel heard and validated, to feel loved and empathized with, and it sets their brain up with the more beneficial level of chemicals such as dopamine and oxytocin, prior to you asking them to accept your no.
              
Often times, if you commit to leading with a “yes”, it allows you to maintain your purposeful boundaries and protective limits, while allowing them to hear your empathy and understanding of why they might want to make such a request or action. Statements such as “yes, I can understand why you would want that, however, today my answer is a no” or “sure, that would make sense, yet, at this time I’m not willing to permit that in this house”, allow you to send the internal messages of acceptance, love and permission to allow them to vocalize who they are trying to be, while maintaining your parameters of honest, loving and fair limits.

Although it takes a little bit of mental training to lead with a “yes” first, it is amazing at how effective this simple shift is at allowing both the parent and the child to preserve the love they have for each other while accepting and dealing with the limits of reality. In His Truth, that is exactly how God loves and parents us. He provides us unconditional love while maintaining His Will and His Provision for us, for the goal of helping us grow and mature as we were intended to be with Him.
                             
If you enjoyed that bit of “free parenting advice” stay tuned for the future parenting blog post titled...Some rules are not meant to be broken!


Justin