Counting Treasures Instead of Troubles – helping your kids and yourself
Counting Treasures
Counting treasures is easy to do when we focus on the little things. Too often, we count our troubles instead of our treasures at the end of the day. We are as guilty of that as adults as are our kids.
How many times do we gripe as we rifle through our day instead of sorting our treasures. Looking for treasures guarantees a happy heart and a grateful attitude, no matter how difficult life – or our day – has been.
How we counted treasures
Many evenings, at the end of a grouchy day, we gathered in the living room for family devotions. Often, Dave started by recounting the things that happened that day. Our kids added their treasures as well. When we had foster kids, he did the same thing. We could always, always find special things that happened in our day, and we counted those treasures. In the middle of disrupted lives, our foster kids came up with enjoyments of their day.
- Ice cream for dessert.
- An extra thirty minutes of riding bike before dark.
- The bird nest with eggs in the tree outside the dining room window.
- The deflated basketball that became useable after providing air with a tire pump.
- A spelling test that was passed instead of failed!
- The lost library book found just before the bus came that morning.
- The pile of leaves to jump in before dinner.
- Fresh dinner rolls on the table.
- Nobody was sick, or the child who was sick was now well.
Each evening, even if I felt grumpy when I first arrived in the living room, I found myself feeling gratefulness invade my soul. Those little things, those seemingly insignificant things, added up. My day ended beautifully in spite of the unfolded laundry, the torn library book, the still-unpotty-trained kid, and testosterone-fed-sibling-rivalry.
Counting Treasures should be a way of life
This is a choice we make. Every single day we can grumble, complain, and look for trouble or we can mine for treasures. Our kids will learn to complain or count their treasures by our example. When your day is dreary, you can end your day with gratefulness and praise. Sort through the rubble and bring out the treasures. Counting treasures is one of the best ways to end your day.
