I’m a big baby.
I came to that realization today after a rough morning of temper tantrums {them, not me}, disobedience and being late for lunch with our pastor’s wife, where the rude behavior from my boys continued.
Stellar morning, for sure.
Do you know what I wanted to do?
Curl up on the couch with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s “Late Night Snack” and wallow in self-pity the rest of the day.
{Side note: fudge-covered potato chips are straight from heaven.}
I wanted to pout and grumble and tell anyone who would listen what a horrible day I was having.
Great plan, Erin.
After a power struggle over naptime with Little J, I walked down to the basement to change the laundry. It was the first quiet moment I had experienced all day, and there He was, ready to speak to me…
“Their bad behavior is not an invitation for you to behave badly.”
Ouch.
I am the mother, not just another one of the kids. Being the parent requires me to rise above their bad behavior and set an example of how to handle oneself when things don’t go as planned.
We all have bad days as parents, but God is still there guiding us through those rough times.
He uses these tough days to teach us many things:
Forgiveness…
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. ~Matthew 18:21-22
Character-building {for us, not them}…
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. ~Romans 5:1-5
Reliance on Him…
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. ~Isaiah 40:31
God gave me my own “time-out” today as I escaped to the basement to do some chores, and He spoke exactly what I needed to hear to bring me out of my funk. He knows a I need a swift kick in the pants every once in a while!
Rough day with your kiddos? It’s not an invitation to shut down and mope.
You DO have an invitation, however, to take a brief “time-out” – lock yourself in the bathroom or bedroom for a few minutes, take deep breaths, repeat one of these verses or another that encourages and refreshes you, and then head back out to face those precious blessings with His strength, not your own.
And in the process, you’ve shown your children exactly how they can overcome a bad day as well!
What verses refresh you in the middle of trying times as a parent?
So I had the huge failure with the tantrums for them and some cheese followed by some chocolate chips and almonds. However I was not screaming with stuff in my mouth. Truly I was meditating on, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Prov 15:1 Ha!!
Ooh, I cringed at that line about it not being an invitation for me to act badly. B/c oh, how I do that.
P.S. that ice cream? Best ever. I won’t tell you about the fit I threw when one of my boys ATE THE WHOLE THING.
Yeah, I had that kind of day today, too. Only when I was scolding my son, I didn’t get to finish my sentence. So instead of “I am sick of you acting this way”, it came out as “I am sick of you”. BIG difference!
I was able to snag a moment with my son later to tell him what I intended to say, apologize, and then ask forgiveness. He saw the right way to apologize, and it helped his attitude to know that I still love him! It ended up as a sweet moment, even if the beginning was ugly.
We had a rough day at our house too, okay, it’s actually been a rough two weeks. Potty training accidents galore, back-talking, fighting, mess-making, spills, crawling baby into EVERY-THING . . . you get the picture. Oh, wait, there’s more . . . weaning baby (which leaves mommy uncomfortable!), packing for first flight as a family, etc. Anyhow, I have had to find tiny moments (while cleaning the spill under the dining table, perhaps) to cry out to God. I am so weak, so helpless, but His strength is made perfect in my weakness. He DOES work on us through caring for our little ones, and man, has He been working on ME. I remind myself continually that Christ came to serve, not to be served. I am most like Him when I’m giving of myself the most. Oh, gotta go clean up more pee, seriously.
I hear you — loud and clear. I could use a time-out chair. 🙂
For me, a verse that keeps me still and sane is Psalm 46:10. “Be still, and know that I am God.” … That’s a sort of Scriptural time-out, right?
(Precious photos of the kiddos chillaxing.)
Isaiah 58:11 – And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
I so needed with reminder. JDaniel and I both behaved badly before nap time.