"....(He will) gently lead those who are with young." Isaiah 40:11b

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Quiet, Grace Filled Mother - Lesson 3

1
Corinthians 13:4-5: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does
not boast, it is not proud.
5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”



Twice,
I have been reminded about love. First, a catalog came in the mail with
Valentine’s crafts specifically aimed at a “Jesus loves you” party. On top of
that, the verse in our daily devotions was the famous love passage, 1
Corinthians 13:4-5: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does
not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” While the children’s
devotion talked about loving others and showing God’s love to strangers, my
mind wandered to my own quest.



The
specific phrase, “it is not angered, it keeps no record of wrongs” struck me
deep in the core of my heart. I do get angry at my children. It is right to be
angry WITH the action or disobedience, but not AT the child. Does that make
sense? It seems that those simple little prepositional phrases contain so much
meaning when applied to parenting. There is no doubt in my mind that I love my
children unconditionally, but do they know that? Am I responding to their
actions out of love or anger? When I respond by yelling, I am doing so in
anger. When I step back, take a deep breath, and respond out of love, I do not
yell. I have probably repeated the phrase, “It isn’t what you say, it is HOW
you say it” to my 6 year old daughter dozens of times. This verse helped me
realize that I can respond to and correct misbehaviors with almost the exact
same words, but I need to temper those words with love, and they will come out
of my mouth in an entirely different manner.





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