Several issues to blog about....
When you find out the house you're building is in the proposed path of an interstate, sure does remind you this world is not our home. A follow-up on that situation is that it probably won't happen for at least 10 years.
Why do some people think they can highjack someone's else's parenting style within a just a few minutes of meeting? One of our children, our preschooler, takes a little time to warm up to new situations, especially when it's loud or around people he doesn't know well, so I have made the decision that I'm here for him and will stay near him until he feels comfortable. I don't hover, but he knows that his mama is there. When he is comfortable, he walks away from me, but I don't force it. And it works. Rather than clinging to my leg and crying as I pry him off, which is humiliating for both of us, he just walks away of his own accord when he feels comfortable. This week, I had someone I'd just met try to manipulate both me and him into forcing him to adjust before he was ready, and it didn't work, and I was mainly irritated that they felt comfortable taking that on barely knowing him or me. Why are we so intent on our kids being independent of us from the beginning? I look back, and a large part of my self-esteem as a child came from the assurance that my parents not only loved me but really were there for me and liked being around me. That also had a huge bearing on my ability to keep peer attitudes in perspective later on as well. Childhood should be the most secure-feeling time in our life. Someday, my little guy will be a very independent, secure young man, and he will know his mama and daddy recognized and did their best to meet his needs and be there for him, and that will have a huge bearing on our relationship later on.
Also, how my eyes become accustomed to clutter! This week has been about decluttering this barn we live in! I am embarrassed as I look at it with cleaning eyes and see piles I've just gotten used to being there. No more! I think I have cleared out a room of junk this week! How is that like my heart, my mind? Are there piles I just don't see because I'm used to them? Do I not pay attention to the Holy Spirit pointing out areas of my life that are junk, that are keeping my heart from being a clean place of residence? Junk is less serious word than sin, isn't it? When Mama would ask me if my room was clean when I was little, I would sometimes answer her that is was clean "physically, but not spiritually", meaning it looked clean, but the closet was a danger zone. As I clean my house physically this week, I'm seeing an opportunity for real spiritual cleaning, as well. The cleaning out of petty attitudes, of laziness, of self-righteousness, of making excuses, and of selfishness, to name a few. And just as I've got my arsenal of cleaning products to shine and sanitize our home, I have God's grace through Jesus, His Holy Spirit within me, and His Word to cleanse, renew, instruct, and encourage my heart.
When you find out the house you're building is in the proposed path of an interstate, sure does remind you this world is not our home. A follow-up on that situation is that it probably won't happen for at least 10 years.
Why do some people think they can highjack someone's else's parenting style within a just a few minutes of meeting? One of our children, our preschooler, takes a little time to warm up to new situations, especially when it's loud or around people he doesn't know well, so I have made the decision that I'm here for him and will stay near him until he feels comfortable. I don't hover, but he knows that his mama is there. When he is comfortable, he walks away from me, but I don't force it. And it works. Rather than clinging to my leg and crying as I pry him off, which is humiliating for both of us, he just walks away of his own accord when he feels comfortable. This week, I had someone I'd just met try to manipulate both me and him into forcing him to adjust before he was ready, and it didn't work, and I was mainly irritated that they felt comfortable taking that on barely knowing him or me. Why are we so intent on our kids being independent of us from the beginning? I look back, and a large part of my self-esteem as a child came from the assurance that my parents not only loved me but really were there for me and liked being around me. That also had a huge bearing on my ability to keep peer attitudes in perspective later on as well. Childhood should be the most secure-feeling time in our life. Someday, my little guy will be a very independent, secure young man, and he will know his mama and daddy recognized and did their best to meet his needs and be there for him, and that will have a huge bearing on our relationship later on.
Also, how my eyes become accustomed to clutter! This week has been about decluttering this barn we live in! I am embarrassed as I look at it with cleaning eyes and see piles I've just gotten used to being there. No more! I think I have cleared out a room of junk this week! How is that like my heart, my mind? Are there piles I just don't see because I'm used to them? Do I not pay attention to the Holy Spirit pointing out areas of my life that are junk, that are keeping my heart from being a clean place of residence? Junk is less serious word than sin, isn't it? When Mama would ask me if my room was clean when I was little, I would sometimes answer her that is was clean "physically, but not spiritually", meaning it looked clean, but the closet was a danger zone. As I clean my house physically this week, I'm seeing an opportunity for real spiritual cleaning, as well. The cleaning out of petty attitudes, of laziness, of self-righteousness, of making excuses, and of selfishness, to name a few. And just as I've got my arsenal of cleaning products to shine and sanitize our home, I have God's grace through Jesus, His Holy Spirit within me, and His Word to cleanse, renew, instruct, and encourage my heart.
