Everyday life lessons

Last month we made the crazy decision to take our family white water rafting.  John nor I had been since before we had kids, and we remembered it being tons of FUN...but what I didn't remember was how much hard work it was...until we were smack in the middle of the Youghiogheny River!

Our trip ended up being around 5 hours long [including lunch]😳😂...and lets just say, by the end of the trip, we were all TIRED.  And by that I mean, irritable and a little sassy. We were heading into a rocky/rapid area and we were not heading the way we were suppose to be headed.  There was a guide a boat ahead of us...and we knew we were suppose to be following her...but when your whole boat is arguing with each other and no one is working together...well, let's just say we literally got stuck.

We were on that rock way longer than we should've been, and a lot of other boats on our trip went past us.  We found ourselves having gone from the very front of the pack, to the very back of the pack.  The kids were tired and visibly frustrated.  John and I were tired too...but more tired of hearing the arguing!  We knew it was time to have a quick pep talk, but there was no time, another rapid was coming up.

I was in the very back of the raft at the time, so I took over...telling our boat that if we wanted to catch up and not get caught up again on a rock...we needed to not argue and we needed to work together.  And I started yelling, "row", "row", "row"...in a synchronized manner.  It took a few times of me saying it, but they caught on and decided to follow.  We not only got through that rapid, but we caught up with the lead boat once again.

During a smooth part of the water, where things were easy, John and I talked with the kids about cooperation, listening to authority and working together.  God used this time to teach our kids that if we argue and are all on separate pages ALL the time...we'll get nothing accomplished.  We'll get hung up on a rock, literally.  But if we listen to authority, put others above ourselves and work together...anything is possible.

Even though that day was exhausting, fun and a little scary all at the same time, it was a blast!  We each shared 1 thing God taught us on the drive home...and it was so, so sweet to hear what God had to say.  You guys, God has lessons for us everywhere.  We didn't book this trip hoping to use it to teach God's principles, these things just happen😆.  But I've been able to use what we learned in our everyday life situations several times since.

What is God speaking to your family that you need to use in conversation as a teaching tool?  How can you talk about God in every day life, because it just may be THE best gift you ever give your child.

If this is a lesson you need in your family too, here are a few scriptures to help you out!

• Philippians 2:3  "Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves."

• 1 Corinthians 12:14-19 [paraphrased below, but I encourage you to look it up for yourself!]
  The body of Christ, or the people that are the whole of humanity, are a team. The body is not supported by one person, but by all of us. We are one, we are strongest working together in unity. Teamwork is the key to living life in harmony, so that we can do God's will.