{"id":482,"date":"2014-09-21T18:48:24","date_gmt":"2014-09-21T23:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/?p=482"},"modified":"2019-05-17T14:28:24","modified_gmt":"2019-05-17T19:28:24","slug":"lunchbox-note-giving-thanks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/","title":{"rendered":"A Note in Your Lunchbox: Giving Thanks in All Things"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"note<\/a><\/p>\n

By Lydia Floren<\/p>\n

For years I packed lunches for my husband and kids. Because food is NOT my thing, I tried lots of different ways to streamline this, including making 20+ PB&J sandwiches at a time, and freezing them for the week.\u00a0 That way, all I had to do in the morning rush, was grab one from the freezer and throw it in a box with a few other prepared items. \u00a0Most days, I tucked a card in each lunch with \u00a0a Bible verse written on it – a little spiritual refreshment for midday, to go along with the physical nourishment.<\/p>\n

Typically, I wrote out these verse cards in the early morning, when the house was still quiet.\u00a0 As I prayed and meditated, preparing for the day, I would ask God to focus me on one particular verse to share, and if there was anything additional He was leading me to share.\u00a0 Then I would pull out my stack of blank cards and start writing. \u00a0Five cards each day. \u00a0Twenty-five handwritten cards per week.<\/p>\n

Did those verse cards have an impact on my family? Yes, I know they did for 2 reasons: \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 -The kids have told me so. (They still have some of those cards.) \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0-God\u2019s word is powerful. It always has an impact.<\/p>\n

Sure, there were some days those notes didn’t get read.\u00a0 But other days, they were read over and over again, and even shared with friends at the lunch table. Samuel says he used to pass them around, so everyone \u00a0could take a shot at deciphering my handwriting. \u00a0(Who knew that my doctor-handwriting would have a positive benefit?)<\/p>\n

The Power of Habit<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Those cards impacted my family, but what I didn’t realize until years later, was how much they influenced me.\u00a0 The practice of writing out 25 verse cards a week enabled God\u2019s truths to penetrate deep into my heart. They pop into my head at unexpected – and timely – moments, \u00a0blessing me with their God-inspired wisdom.<\/p>\n

The Habit of Giving Thanks in All Things<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I think there are lots of habits – repetitive choices – that bless our lives, and then keep on blessing us. \u00a0They start with small decisions in a moment or day, but their cumulative effect is powerful. \u00a0There are several other such habits that have blessed me like this over the years, but one rises to the top: \u00a0g<\/strong>iving thanks in all things.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanksgiving<\/a> Restores My Joy<\/strong>.<\/h2>\n

Choosing – repeatedly – to give thanks in all things,\u00a0changes my perspective<\/strong>.\u00a0 It shifts my focus, from my problems and weakness, to His sufficiency and grace.\u00a0 Thanksgiving also changes my attitude<\/strong>. It refreshes my hope in the future, and strengthens my faith in God\u2019s goodness.\u00a0 Most important, thanksgiving restores my joy<\/strong>. In the practice of thanksgiving, I remember that God is at work, and He does love me and everyone else in the world.<\/p>\n

Things to give thanks for:<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
    \n
  • The last 24 hrs<\/strong>. People and events. God works all things to good.<\/li>\n
  • God, my loving Father<\/strong>\n
      \n
    • His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.<\/li>\n
    • His working in my life and in this world, even when I don\u2019t see it.<\/li>\n
    • His commitment to me personally, to always be with me – within me, to restore my soul every day, to lead me in the way I need to go.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • Myself<\/strong>\n
        \n
      • The gift of life, and of this day.<\/li>\n
      • My unique identity, value, belonging, and calling.<\/li>\n
      • My limitations, and God\u2019s limitlessness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • Others<\/strong>\n
          \n
        • Those I know (especially those that are dear to me), and those I don\u2019t know<\/li>\n
        • Those I will cross paths with<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • My concerns<\/strong>\n
            \n
          • That God knows my concerns before I do, and he will take care of them, and lead me in the next step.<\/li>\n
          • Perspective: \u00a0Problems are just opportunities for God\u2019s work to shine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
          • The next 24 hrs<\/strong>.\n
              \n
            • The people and circumstances I will encounter in this day.<\/li>\n
            • God\u2019s faithfulness to lead me in the way I need to go.<\/li>\n
            • God will work all things to good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Giving thanks in all things,the habit of thanksgiving, is like writing a note for your lunchbox:\u00a0 a message of hope that seeps into your heart and soul bringing refreshment when you least expect it, and may most need it.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

              \u00a0<\/strong>Please share with us: \u00a0what are you thankful for?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              By Lydia Floren For years I packed lunches for my husband and kids. Because food is NOT my thing, I tried lots of different ways to streamline this, including making 20+ PB&J sandwiches at a time, and freezing them for the week.\u00a0 That way, all I had to do in the morning rush, was grab […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[464,44],"tags":[491,74,6,68,8,24,53],"class_list":["post-482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-finding-yourself","category-identity-value","tag-attributes-of-god","tag-belonging-to-god","tag-gods-love","tag-habits","tag-hope-and-encouragement","tag-thankfulness","tag-trust-in-god"],"yoast_head":"\nA note in your lunchbox: Giving thanks<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The habit of giving thanks in all things nourishes your soul with truth, allowing hope to emerge when you least expect it and most need it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A note in your lunchbox: Giving thanks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The habit of giving thanks in all things nourishes your soul with truth, allowing hope to emerge when you least expect it and most need it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Belovedlove\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/belovedlove.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-09-21T23:48:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-05-17T19:28:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/note-in-lunchbox-smaller.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lydia Floren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lydia Floren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/\",\"name\":\"A note in your lunchbox: Giving thanks\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/note-in-lunchbox-smaller.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-09-21T23:48:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-05-17T19:28:24+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/#\/schema\/person\/1105f11928cd7dac66c63a7376b13fe9\"},\"description\":\"The habit of giving thanks in all things nourishes your soul with truth, allowing hope to emerge when you least expect it and most need it.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/note-in-lunchbox-smaller.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/note-in-lunchbox-smaller.png\",\"width\":640,\"height\":466},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A Note in Your Lunchbox: Giving Thanks in All Things\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/\",\"name\":\"Belovedlove\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/#\/schema\/person\/1105f11928cd7dac66c63a7376b13fe9\",\"name\":\"Lydia Floren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d31ebd28eee6873bf6e78f48ea495570295dd36da3c7c776cbbdfdfc5a17e7d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d31ebd28eee6873bf6e78f48ea495570295dd36da3c7c776cbbdfdfc5a17e7d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lydia Floren\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/belovedlove.org\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/belovedlove.org\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/bebelovedlove\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/author\/lydiaflorenclan-com\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A note in your lunchbox: Giving thanks","description":"The habit of giving thanks in all things nourishes your soul with truth, allowing hope to emerge when you least expect it and most need it.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A note in your lunchbox: Giving thanks","og_description":"The habit of giving thanks in all things nourishes your soul with truth, allowing hope to emerge when you least expect it and most need it.","og_url":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/","og_site_name":"Belovedlove","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/belovedlove.org","article_published_time":"2014-09-21T23:48:24+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-05-17T19:28:24+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/note-in-lunchbox-smaller.png","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Lydia Floren","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lydia Floren","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/","url":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/","name":"A note in your lunchbox: Giving thanks","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/note-in-lunchbox-smaller.png","datePublished":"2014-09-21T23:48:24+00:00","dateModified":"2019-05-17T19:28:24+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/#\/schema\/person\/1105f11928cd7dac66c63a7376b13fe9"},"description":"The habit of giving thanks in all things nourishes your soul with truth, allowing hope to emerge when you least expect it and most need it.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/note-in-lunchbox-smaller.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/note-in-lunchbox-smaller.png","width":640,"height":466},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/21\/lunchbox-note-giving-thanks\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Note in Your Lunchbox: Giving Thanks in All Things"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/#website","url":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/","name":"Belovedlove","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/#\/schema\/person\/1105f11928cd7dac66c63a7376b13fe9","name":"Lydia Floren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d31ebd28eee6873bf6e78f48ea495570295dd36da3c7c776cbbdfdfc5a17e7d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d31ebd28eee6873bf6e78f48ea495570295dd36da3c7c776cbbdfdfc5a17e7d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lydia Floren"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/belovedlove.org","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/belovedlove.org","https:\/\/x.com\/bebelovedlove"],"url":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/author\/lydiaflorenclan-com\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1868,"href":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482\/revisions\/1868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}