In need of some fruit!

There have been different actions that have sprung up in our home this past week that have left me confused on what exactly the heart issue was behind the behavior and how I should best shepherd their hearts. Above all, I know we sin because we are not loving Christ more than anything else... not treasuring Him above all things and we talk about that often in our home. But I was also feeling that there was an underlying "lacking" in our attitudes (mine included!) that was in need of examining and repenting of. The Lord made it pretty clear yesterday that what we were all missing was a good heaping of the fruit of self-control!

I'll humbly share my struggle with you about my lack of self-control tomorrow.But, for today, I wanted to share with you how the Pichura Family is seeking to battle this lack of fruit (including all the other fruits of the Spirit!). Bryan and I have decided to focus on one fruit of the Spirit a month (not necessarily in order). We want to take the full month because we believe that in order to be "transformed by the renewal of our minds" (Romans 12: 1-2), it's going to take some time for the truths of God's Word to really sink in and to change the way we think and live!

I started today by reviewing the verses in Galatians 5:22-23 (about the fruit of the Spirit). We had memorized them last year, so they came quickly to the kids mind. Then I talked about what self-control is and actually wrote out the definition on a big piece of paper...I've included pictures to give you an idea.:)In case you are curious, self-control means control of ones own emotions, desires and actions) and I also wrote out the definition for control which is: to exercise authority over or influence over; to DIRECT. Then, we picked (okay..so I picked :)) Titus 2:11-12 for us to memorize this week (and maybe into next week a little too!); And we ended with talking about what self-control looks like in our lives and also explained the hard words in our verse, so everyone knows not just the words but the meaning of the verses we are memorizing.

To be honest, I am not sure exactly why I am sharing all these details with you all:) but, if you are anything like me when it comes to creativity....any and all tid-bits are gladly welcome! Plus, I'd love the accountability of you asking me how our "study" is going and what fruit we are doing next month, etc. My prayer is that, by the end of this year, we are truly a fruity family!:)