To be the best Wife, Mom, Daughter, Sister, Friend, and Runner I can be...God willing!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Focusing....

One of my focus areas for the year is to use kinder words when interacting with Samuel, Emma, Jonah, and Elena.  I picked several verses as my theme verses and can't say how many times they go through my head each day.  Right after I wrote a post about my focus areas, devotions flooded my email account with similar verses.  I guess other people want to use gentler words in 2011 as well.

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification  Ephesians 4:29

Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger  James 1:19

I saw this a sign that I had made the correct decision and was moving in the right direction.  Samuel has definitely been the most challenging two year old ever...at least in this house!  He is all boy all the time and I am so not.  He tests and tests and then tests some more.  He wears me out almost every day without fail.  When I am tired my patience is gone and so goes my tone of voice and my word choices.  Thankfully God comes to my rescue!  I keep hearing "Pleasant words are a honeycomb..." (Proverbs 16:24) in my head. 

When I was running last Saturday I had a long conversation with God about my interactions with Samuel.  I felt like there could be no more yelling in our relationship.  Since Saturday I have yelled at him one time....amazing!  I must say it was a little justified since he peed his pants at dinner.  He usually gets up a bunch to go to the bathroom during a meal.  To make it worse I had completed all our laundry that day.  I was so mad!  Of course, Emma had to tell me I wasn't allowed to yell.  Seven year old girls are so fun sometimes!!!

I can definitely say that my changing behavior had made a difference already in my relationship with Samuel.  We are having more fun playing together.  In general he has been better behaved.  Even potty training is better...more the moment.

So, I am following God's direction on this focus area.  My words are calm and purposeful.  I am not yelling (except for that one time).  I can do this....

“Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.”  
I Timothy 4:15

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