Family Motto

It has been a busy 4 months since I last wrote a blog. I now have been married to the mom for a couple months and life has been nothing short of a tornado. We have both been hit by the economy and life as hard as imaginable. That has made us have to refocus on a number of occasions and make sure we are giving each other and the kiddos what they need.

The best thing we have done over the last 4 months is come up with a family motto. One of the greatest men I have ever known gave some advice to a class my wife and I were attending. He said that each family needs a motto and direction. When he asked if anyone knew their family motto, everyone in the class responded with the correct answer of "love God, hate sin."

For several months we have been trying to come up with something that will stand the test of time, moods, life events, and be consistent with where we want to be headed. We finally came up with one and it has changed our lives.

Motto: SERVE OTHERS

It may not sound like a motto, but it fits our family. We used to go around the table every night at dinner and ask how each persons day went. The kids were always looking forward to giving their story. Now we go around the table and tell what 2 things we have done to serve people today. Our 3 year old struggles a little bit, but as we help her she has come up with the most sacrificial serving moments.

If you are still not sold on this idea of a family motto. Here is an example how it has changed my focus. I was recently laid off from my job with no severance package. My wife had been looking for a job for the last 3 months and had just started her job. Financially we were worse than we have ever been and frankly poor. I went to go get a much needed haircut and there were 2 people getting their haircut. I sat down and waited patiently while I was on the phone with my wife while she was telling me that we needed more money to pay rent for the month. I hung up as one guy handed his credit card to the hair dresser. She tried it a few times and it did not work. She told him that he needed to bring back cash today and she took his license as collateral. Just then I kept thinking about our family motto and it made me forget about my problems and Trust in Gods Mercy. I stopped the guy and handed my card to the hair dresser and told her I would pay for his haircut. Everyone was so shocked, and that is all they talked about for the rest of the time I was there. One guy told me that I inspired him to help someone that day.

The best part came when it was my turn at dinner. It was one of my two items and the kids were so shocked that it was all they talked about. My wife and I then had the chance to talk to them about truly stepping up to the plate and being like Jesus. It is so funny to think someone paying $13 for someone could make people talk more about that than any of Jesus' miracles. It reminds me that it is not about me.

Help someone today. Change your focus. TRUST God. There is hope for you single-moms, and support for you dads! God is good ALL THE TIME.