6 Ways

October 26, 2019 by Tricia Goyer Leave a Comment

6 Ways to Build a Positive Family

6 Ways to Build a Positive Family.

Do your kids struggle with negativity? Are you constantly having to break up fights?Do you cringe at the words coming out of your child’s mouth? Do you wish everyone could just be happy and positive?

A positive attitude at home will leak into the rest of your child’s life. The “family” is where the foundation of a positive living is built. It’s our job not just to teach being positive, but to model it. Here are 6 ways to do that. (And they spell out the word F.A.M.I.L.Y! Stay tuned to the end of this post for a free printable.)

The “family” is where the foundation of a positive living is built. @TriciaGoyer

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Faith

Our faith in God is the foundation for our attitudes. We not only represent ourselves and our families, but we also represent God. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Because of Jesus, we can trust He’ll be with us and guide us. He’s not only caring for us on this earth, but He’s also preparing a place for us for eternity.

Remind your child that faith in God gives us confidence for today and hope for tomorrow.
Ask, “If we have faith in God, what can we look forward to?” (Lots of amazing, positive things!)
Guide your child to turning any negative interactions into positive ones by pointing your child back to God. “I know this is hard right now, but because of our faith can trust that God will turn things around for good.”

Attitude

Our attitude is a megaphone of what’s happening on the inside. Is your child feel unloved, unappreciated, or disconnected? If so, his or her attitude will show it. When you see a bad attitude starting, instead of beginning with correction, start with connection.

Remind your child he or she can tell you how he or she is feeling instead of acting out.
Ask, “If I could do one thing for you right now, what would that be?”
Guide your child to reach for you instead of lashing out. “If you need me to understand, talk to me. I want to be here for you.”

Mental Goodness

Mental goodness is one way of saying, “Think about good things.” Instead of replaying what you don’t like about your home, family, and school, try to find the positives.

Remind your child that bad thoughts will lead to bad actions and good thoughts will lead to good actions.
Ask, “What is one good thing you can think about right now?”
Guide your child to ask God to help him think about good things. Pray together about this.

Head over to thebettermom.com to read the rest of this post!

Are you ready to build a positive family that faces life’s struggles without grumbling or complaining?

Maybe you’re ready for The Grumble Free Year. Join our family of 11 as we navigate a year of learning to look for God in all things and to serve Him through grateful and thankful hearts.

Pre-order now and get these great FREE gifts! Order here: www.thegrumblefreeyear.com

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August 20, 2013 by Tricia Goyer 11 Comments

How to Pray for Your Future Husband: Understanding

I started praying for my future husband when I was 17 years old and pregnant with my son. I wanted someone who could love both me and my child. I wanted someone who loved God. God brought me an amazing man. John and I have been married for 23 years now. We had two more biological children, and we’ve adopted three more . . . making that six kids total! God has done more than I’d ever hoped or imagined.

My friend Robin Gunn and I wrote Praying for Your Future Husband a few years ago. The fun part is getting photos from some of the young women who prayed—wedding photos!

Of course there are women who are still praying and waiting, and we’ve gotten letters from them, too. They tell us they are drawing closer to God as they wait . . . and that is exactly what we hoped for!

In the moment, though, it’s hard to understand the wait. It may be hard for your future husband to understand, too. The best thing to do while you wait is to pray.

(And if you’re a mom, grandma, aunt or friend join the young women you love in prayer! Also considering picking up a copy of Praying for Your Future Husband for the young woman in your life!)

There are many things to pray for, but one of them in Understanding. Understanding means trusting that God has a plan. It means being willing to be open-minded about past mistakes, knowing that God’s grace is available to everyone.

Teen girls: It’s never too early to begin praying for your future husbands. @TriciaGoyer

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Here are 6 ways to pray for understanding.

Pray for Understanding for Your Future Husband.

Pray God’s Word will flood his heart.
Pray your future husband will seek God and try to understand what God is doing in His life.
Pray he has a tender heart that will be understanding of your past mistakes.
Pray you will be understanding of his.
Pray that if he has his heart broken, he will be surrounded by good friends who will support him during the healing process.
Pray that in each of his relationships, he will develop an understanding heart and will always believe God has a different and better plan.

When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart. John Bunyan

Friend, God has good plans for your future. Keep trusting. Keep praying! And I’ll be excited to hear where He leads you!

Are you new here? You might want to subscribe to my email updates, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, or Instagram.

Want to read a sweet story about trusting and praying? My novella A Christmas Gift for Rose is a great place to start. Find it here!

For more, read a sample of Praying for Your Future Husband:

View this document on Scribd

August 5, 2013 by Tricia Goyer Leave a Comment

6 Ways to Grow Trust in God

How do you grow trust in God? Here are 6 ways to help you.

1. To start in learning how to grow trust in God, Let go of your idea of how things should happen. God’s ways are not our ways. And how He chooses to show up will be different—greater—than we can expect. Most of the time we will not get what we want. Instead, we’ll get a greater revelation of who Jesus is.

2. Turn to God in prayer, even when you doubt (especially when you doubt). Talk to Jesus as simply as Martha did. There’s no need for fancy words. Tell him that you feel you got the wrong end of the stick, but then tell Him that you know that He’s going to make all the difference.

Turn to God in prayer, even when you doubt (especially when you doubt). @TriciaGoyer

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3. Ask others to tell you their God-stories or read Christian biographies. Everyone goes through tests or trials, yet God never forsakes those who love Him. Hearing how God has shown up in someone else’s life can give you hope.

4. Thank God for what He’s already done. Be grateful for all that you have. You might not have everything you want, but God has taken care of you in numerous ways.

5. Reach out to another person. Ask God to show you who needs encouragement. Giving of yourself to others will put everything into perspective. Also, when you allow God’s love to pour through you, you’ll also get filled up in the process!

6. Strive to see things through His eternal perspective to grow trust in God. This world is not our home. The problems of this earth are not our fate. Even if life never is easy, God is good. More than that, He’s preparing a place for you, where you will be with Him for eternity

Life will never turn out how you expect and aren’t you thankful? As you walk through dark days, you won’t be walking through it alone . . . and you’ll discover Jesus Christ in new ways!

Interested in some similar posts to this one? Check out these further posts to help you grow trust in God: