Thursday, June 13, 2013

They're people...

We took the kids to the zoo last night. They were having Membership Appreciation Night and we needed to think about something other than the fire.

But everywhere we went, it seemed, there were mothers screaming at their children, that or otherwise belittling them in front of strangers. Now I realize emotions are running high everywhere, but with my own heart raw from watching people lose everything except their family, I wanted to grab each of of them by the shoulders, look them in the eye, and plead with them to remember what's important. I'm fairly sure some of them don't even talk to their dogs the way they were talking to those beautiful children.

Houses and stuff can be replaced. Memories stay even when places burn down. But children are people, and people are irreplaceable, of infinite worth. If you know the love of God, then you have at least an intellectual understanding of the worth of a human.

Maybe that's all you ever knew as a child - being screamed at. Maybe, like me at times, you've gotten into a bad habit. Fix it. Make a conscious choice. Apologize when (not if, but when, because it takes time to change a habit) you mess up. Change the tone of your home. There's no condemnation for those who are in Christ, so don't spend time regretting, but change it moving forward.

You must do things that refill your "tank" as a mother. Have friends. Read your Bible. Take regular date nights. Institute "quiet time" every afternoon, even if it's just for 30 minutes so you can breathe and hear yourself think. Do what it takes so you can talk civilly to your family. They are the only thing you have that will last forever.

1 comment:

  1. It takes an effort not to lose it with kids sometimes, and sometimes that's only through prayer. Being ready at the beginning of the day by spending time alone with God is a tremendous help to staying focused on what is important, that is raising people who will be positive and productive members of society. God bless us all.

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