Fought the Good Fight?

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8

I’ve chosen to look at the characteristic “determination” for a few days—but am I feeling determined in my own character now? No. Jesus was very determined in His attitude and actions—He never faltered. He kept His eyes on God, pleasing Him and doing His will—even sacrificing His own life all according to God the Father’s plan. I do want to be like Jesus—but I’m human and won’t have every characteristic that Jesus has. Will you? Likely not. We’ll each have some in varying degrees—but not all. So to each of you I say—hang in there. Fight the good fight—don’t get weary and give up. Keep the faith—even when you may feel discouraged or despaired—or you are just plain tired. I’ve been sick for a month—first a cold, then bronchitis, then the flu. Although my fever never got over 101.3, it drained my energy. God heard my prayers and those of my family and friends—and He’s not finished with me yet. I am feeling better—so are my grandchildren, from whom I caught that dreaded flu. God is good. May you continue to be physically and spiritually healthy. Fight the fight—finish the course. 

Training Tip – Kids can be “determined” about what they want. If it is not what you want for them—there may be some whining involved. Hopefully not from you! So how do you handle whining?

·         First of all—keep your cool and don’t over react. Simply tell them “Whining is not acceptable in this home. You may not whine here.”  (Of course, they may choose to go next door or to Grandma’s to whine instead. Still not acceptable.) 

·         Give the child a positive option such as, “Smile and say please. You’ll be surprised how much more it will get you.” Or, “Please ask again after supper, and we’ll see if some (candy/tv/whatever) is appropriate then.”  

·         Take control—don’t let the child control you. “If you think that if whine enough, you’ll get your way—you are wrong.”

·         If the child doesn’t change their behavior immediately, then let the child know that you’ll do something about it—and do it. Time out works for most kids.

·         Don’t reward child by giving him your attention when his behavior is negative. Act decisively and immediately to help him change his behavior. Remove him from the rest of the family and then have a fun family activity—without him. The whining, sassing or pouting child only hurts himself.

·         Discuss the problem later when the kiddo has calmed down. Help him to understand that the whining, or other inappropriate behavior, is not acceptable and won’t get him what he wants. This is useful for preschoolers. Hopefully, school age children won’t still be whiners. If so—take control, sooner rather than later.

Pray. Prayer always helps. 

Lord God, help us to be determined in our life to please You—and not to whine to You or others when things don’t go our way. We love You and want to serve You. 

Happy Birthday, Joe.

May God continue to bless and guide you.

Love you much, brother.

You’re a good example of determination. Good job!

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.