Highlighting the Good

Last weekend I took two of my kids to a new dirt bike trail at our local park. The school district had sent out flyers advertising that if kids wanted to try it out they would have bikes available during a certain time with people helping. My son and his friend wanted to do it so badly so we loaded up the bike and met his friend there. The park system did a really good job of laying out these trails having a beginner, intermediate and advanced sections. We of course had Tyler try out the beginner first just to get the lay of the land. His friend was a bit more adventurous and blazed through that section and proceeded to go to the next level. For Tyler this was a mind over matter situation. He had to focus on the now and not remember that a couple of years ago he fell off his bike doing a trail like this. Let’s just say the matter won over the mind. He did the trail a couple of times but we had to halt his attempts because he would not keep his feet on the peddles.

The next day we tried again and brought Leah along. So much better! Tyler kept his feet on the peddles and went through the course. Leah was made to ride these trails, she loved it. She even seemed happy walking up the hill to the start of the trail, so I thought why not take a picture. It was after that I was told that she had a meeting, her bike, her body and the soft but not so soft earth. She decided she would quit for the day, we would fix her bike and try again. The smile on the kids’ faces though, and how excited Tyler was to show Leah the track was worth it.

The times that I get to spend with my kids is really a treasure. We are away from each other all week long, so the weekends are what we have for doing things fun. We have mud runs, color runs, bike trails, and lake visits under our belts. We have game nights, walks and doing projects around the house as well. I am told I am lucky that my kids still want to do stuff we me and my hubby and that they actually want to involve us in their lives. I want to shield the kids from negativity and bad in the world but I am not superwoman, so what I can do is keep talking with them and pray for them. The other day I was told about a tic tok sight that highlights the “stupid” stuff that kids will do. All I could think is how sad. Why would you want to focus on what people do wrong? Why do we want to know when people mess up, when they make a wrong decision? Why wouldn’t we want to celebrate with people when good happens?

How cool would it be to have a tic tok that says things like “Hey did you see those kids picking up trash around our school?” or ones that highlight the high school kid that walked home with the elementary school kids? I cringe when my kids tell me about the whispers they hear from other kids talking about what someone is wearing, how they are wearing it. Highlight instead that people are different, that they are ok with who they are.

Our minds seem to focus more on the bad than good, we literally have to change our thoughts to see the good. This last Saturday my son and I took a walk. We put Charlie’s sweater on (she is a pittie that has one layer of fur and seems to freeze when the temp gets below 60). Harnessed up Jorj and set out. You know what happened? Tyler and I talked. We walked. We enjoyed the fact that the air was crisp and clear (our summer was a smoked filled summer) We enjoyed the fact that our blood was flowing and that we got some exercise in. Our days are getting shorter and colder as we proceed into the fall and winter months. Staying inside is something I tend to do more of because of the annoying cold. So I will enjoy the times I have outdoors, and when the time comes to hibernate I will do as much as I can.

Focusing on the good is healthy for the mind, body and spirit. In Philippians 4:4-9 Paul is in prison, he is chained to a Roman soldier, he is in a place where most people would think only on the bad, they would feel sorry for themselves and would not be focusing on the positive that is for sure. Paul instead focuses on encouraging others when he writes:

Rejoice in the Lord always (not sometimes). Again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to all men, The Lord is at hand.  Be anxious for nothing, but in Everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy---meditate on these things.