FAITH WORKS!

Our Lutheran School's theme for the year is Faith Works.  For the entire year we are focusing on our Faith -- God's gift of grace that works in and through us.  As a facet of this theme, each month we are studying a virtue as a school.

Last Friday, each family received a cardstock gear that we are to write our names on and decorate.  All the gears will be added to a giant bulletin board displaying all of our gears working together.  On the gear, we are also to write which virtue our family is going to focus on for the year.  Each family is to choose a virtue from the list as a family focus and goal -- something we will make an effort to grow in intentionally.

Here are the list of virtues we will be focusing on at school:
Faith/Trust
Courage
Stewardship
Gratitude
Honesty
Reverence
Mercy
Justice
Zeal

So last night at dinner, my husband and I began the discussion -- which virtue should our family focus on for the year?  And thus began a heated debate of which virtue we needed to work on most.
"How about Justice?"  "No, we have too many people demanding justice already!"
"Honesty!", said one child, while pointing at another.  "That one needs to be more honest!"
"Gratitude? We could all work on being more grateful for what we have."
"Stewardship? We could focus on being responsible with our time and talents."
"How about Reverence?"

And Reverence is what stuck.  We are taking a broad look at the word, applying it to both our family members and our faith.  We brainstormed some goals, which I will post in the kitchen and dining room to serve as reminders when we (frequently, inevitably) stray from the focus.  Here are a few of our goals in the area of Reverence:

• Listening to each other better
• Communicating respectfully
• Honoring our father and mother
• Putting another's feelings above your own
• Listening at family devotions and worship
• Participating at family devotions and worship
• No silliness or distractions during family devotions and worship

So over the next year, we are hoping to make some strides in these areas.  I told the kids I was going to write about our goals so we can hold ourselves accountable.  I hope and pray in the spring I can write again about our reverence, both to one another and to God, and say that we have improved.  With prayer and dedication to the task, I hope it will be so!