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December 16, 2011

::thoughts on motherhood [gentle and humble in heart]::


four year old girls are a special breed of people.
mine is loving and kind yet firey and determined.
she is her own person that marches to the beat of her own drum.
and i could not love her more.



i was a sassy and defiant child....teenager....er..uh....adult.
it's my nature. i fight it daily.
i fight the urge to be hateful and demanding.
i fight the urge to embrace entitlement.
i fight the urge to give back whats given to me.
it has taken me years to push back against this nature and i fail often.

in the moments when my four year old chooses sassiness, unkindness and selfishness, i am learning to gently guide her towards a better path, a better way. i'm learning that she responds best when i respond (not react) to her. when i get on her level, eye-to-eye, face-to-face and have a conversation with her.

what's going on here?
what is causing you to act in this way?
wouldn't it be better if you made this choice?
what if we did this instead?



sometimes it's a simple hug that breaks those barriers she has put around her tiny little heart. i feel her melt and her coldness turns to warmth as she feels the love of mommy.


"a gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger" proverbs 15:1

i whisper this to myself 99 times a day.
gentle melisssa. be gentle.it is often second nature to become firm and harsh, to demand obedience. 
gentleness? i have to work at that.

"take my yoke upon you and learn from me [jesus], for i am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" matthew 11:28-30

who doesn't want rest for their souls?
if i can learn to be gentle, if i can teach her to be gentle, we will have rest for our souls.



peace.
gentleness leads to peace.
this is my journey.

your thoughts of gentleness?

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for this. I need this daily with my two and with my twenty-one fifth graders. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. So true =) I've been working on responding and not reacting. After a race to catch my 3 year old in the mall I marched her out to the car. When we got in the car I sat there and caught my breath. (Angry and embarrassed.) Then I looked at her in the eyes and she teared up. Then she told me how a girl had been mean to her in the play area & cried. So glad I took the time to listen and be able to speak into her life.
    I wonder how many times I miss those moments.

    Thanks for sharing.

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