Most of the time when many people think of this verse in the context of discipline…

Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV)

^{6 (A)}Train up a child in the way he should go,
^[a]And when he is old he will not depart from it.

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But, raising children in the Lord is more than discipline. Don’t raise a generation of grandparents who can’t cook for their grandkids!

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Teach those girls and boys to cook!

Genesis 25:29-34 (NKJV)

²⁹ Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. ³⁰ And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew,for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called ^[a]Edom.

³¹ But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”

³² And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so ^(B)what is this birthright to me?”

³³ Then Jacob said, ^[b]“Swear to me as of this day.”

So he swore to him, and ^(C)sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴ And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then ^(D)he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau ^(E)despised his birthright.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

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So this is what it felt like to be this age.

When I heard you talk about growing up, your youth seemed so long ago, but now I realize how it seemed just like yesterday.

Your days and nights were just as long as mine are now.

Wow! I look like you looked.

I sound like you sounded.

I am you.

I was created in your image.

And, we were created in God’s.

Psalm 127:3 (NKJV)

³ Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.

BE BLESSTIFED!

There are many HUGE blessings that we can sometimes take for granted in our materialistic, self-centered society. And, I’m not necessarily talking about those things that we usually STOP and thank God for too.

I’m talking about those blessings that aren’t really even thought of as blessings, kinda like air conditioning in a new car or indoor plumbing…we see them as a ‘givens’.

1. THE ABILITY TO BATHE YOURSELF…

Ask anyone who has to endure depending on someone else to bathe them every day. There are some things that you don’t want either loved ones or strangers to have to do for you.

2. THE ABILITY TO WIPE YOURSELF…

I’m going to push this point a little further… farther? You know what I mean:-) Imagine if you had to depend on someone to clean you every time you went to the bathroom. Never take the blessings of being able to do this for yourself for granted.

3. THE ABILITY TO HAVE COMPLETE BOWEL MOVEMENTS…

While we are thanking God for the ability to walk, see, hear and even think for ourselves, let us not forget to thank God for a healthy digestive system. Have you ever felt the misery of constipation?

4. THE ABILITY FEEL PAIN…

As annoying as pain may be, God gave us pain for a reason. It often let’s us know that something is wrong with our bodies. What if you didn’t know you were leaning on a hot stove? Sometimes pain is a warning to an underlying health condition.

5. THE ABSENCE OF PAIN…

And, as much as pain can be a warning, there are those who live in constant pain daily. Never take for granted the blessing if ‘feeling good’.

This short list is by no means exhaustive. I just wanted to provoke us to thinking and thanking. What are some other things that we often forget to forget when giving thanks?

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV)

¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

BE BLESSTIFIED!