You Get What You Brag On

Lord, let my words be like silver boxes of encouragement.  Words of encouragement can really change someone’s attitude.  Your encouraging words can help others gain more confidence.  One sweet comment may not make a lot of difference, but add up enough of them (at least one a day), and they can stem the negative tide in a relationship and even change the direction.  The key is sincerity.

Expect the best from people and they will probably give it to you.  I once wrote a book called: "Pictures with A Purpose" about "Faithbooking." The purpose of a faithbook is to glorify God and increase my faith and the faith of my family.  I was an avid scrap-booker, but over the years and due to the technical changes that our culture brings with it, my "scrapbooks" have now turned into posting my photos on Facebook.  Never waste a compliment.  I try to use my photo comments on facebook to honor those that I love.  I also try to convey a nugget of truth that might make someone's load just a bit lighter if they read my comment.  The truth sets you free.

If you want your kids to have an attitude of gratitude then brag on that in them.  I recently sent a care package to my youngest son Tyler. He sent me a text thanking me for it and  listed several of the items that were in the package that he particularly liked. Then he sent me another thank you when he was enjoying the Oreos that were in the package.  I could have texted him back with "your welcome" or "glad you liked it", but since I live by the philosophy of YOU GET WHAT YOU BRAG ON, instead I sent him back a text that said, "I love your attitude of gratitude.  An attitude of gratefulness is a very powerful attitude and you are really good at it." Do you see the difference? If you do that for years as your kids are growing up, you will begin to see that YOU REALLY DO GET WHAT YOU BRAG ON!

If you want to raise a leader, brag on that character quality whenever you see someone following your son/daughter and chances are you will raise a leader.   

Joe White,  the author of “Why Purity Matters” said,  "Lack of identity among our young people is the number one problem our society faces."

A strong identity is not something that just happens, it's something that we as parents must be intentional about building into our kids.

In my previous blog titled, "Why the Name Professional Parenting", I mentioned the goals that I had when I was raising my children:

I had three goals in mind as my kids were growing up:

1. The importance of the power of the tongue. Bragging on the good that I see in my kids moves me closer to reaching my goal and applying the truth that what we say has power. 

2. How to resolve conflict.

3. The importance of guarding their innocence.