Isn’t it always the struggle to encourage contentment and not to covet or want what others have? Especially in this season of gift giving and receiving.

Our family has decided to not give gifts to the kids but instead to do acts of service. We have an “advent calendar” that hangs in envelopes and labeled for each date 12 days before christmas. The activities we get to do range from, make cookies for neighbors, write thank you cards to those who put up lights, bring a poinsettia to a local nursing home, etc. We also enjoy doing family activities like snowman hot chocolate, family game night, nightly reading, driving around looking at lights, cutting down our own tree and decorating, etc.

This works now in our lives with the kids ages and the fact that grandparents are still purchasing gifts for the kids. My prayer is that we can create a spirit of contentment and a happy heart with the things we have.

1 Timothy 6:6-9 says, “6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”

Lord, I pray for the hearts of my children, I pray that they will be forming a heart of contentment. I pray that I will be a model and example of contentment which I know is something I can work on! As you are refining me Lord, please let my children learn and grow from that refining process. Lord, let us all not put our joy in possessions but in the fruits of the spirit and the eternal hope found in You!

Join me in this season to bring pray to ourselves and our children as well as we pray for contentment.