I'm not sure why we do it, but women can be the absolute worst at tearing other women down. I'm sure I've been guilty of it, but now that I'm older and dare I say, wiser, I purposely try to encourage other women. Because as quick as we can be at insulting someone else, we can be even quicker at criticizing ourselves. I'm definitely guilty of this.
Here's the truth: I'm not super woman. I do NOT have it all together. I don't have the supermodel look. I'm not as skinny as I would like to be. I can have a bad attitude. I'm a bit sarcastic. I'm not as patient as most people think. My house is usually in a chaotic mess. I'm not a chef, but I do cook. My kids are NOT perfect, not even close. And there are many other things I could list here, but I would bet you have on your own list for yourself. I'm a very conservative - some would say - strict mama. We have strong boundaries set for our kids, and we have high expectations of their character. We expect them to be well behaved, kind, gracious, helpful, and hard working. And for the most part they are, but.... they are kids. And just like us adults, they fall short sometimes. That's something we all will continue to work on throughout life. This past weekend, while grocery shopping with my oldest daughter, we witnessed a lack of good behavior. A young mom with three kids was shopping one isle over from us. As we came around the corner I heard yelling from two adults. I quickly assessed the situation. The mother, holding her baby boy with her preschool daughter at her leg, was standing mortified as her older son (maybe 6-7) was running around and not listening to her. The yelling was coming from an older woman and man who was telling the mother how to parent her child and how her son was acting dangerous and needed to be stopped. At the same time this discussion was going on, a younger couple came through and loudly said they were rushing through because they both hated children. What?! When did society come to this? When did we loose compassion for other people? When did we decide it was no longer a good idea to hold our tongue? I will agree that the little boy was very rambunctious ( all 4 of my boys have been). He was running in and out of the isles and we all know that he shouldn't have been doing it. I later heard his mother talk to him and he was sorry for his behavior. But I also saw a grown woman yell at another woman because her child was misbehaving. She didn't kindly inform the mother that her son could cause an accident, she screamed, her disgust, across the store. The woman left and did not apologize for her misbehavior. I also witnessed 2 grown adults loudly proclaim how they hated children, but I would guess they are thankful their own parents didn't feel that way before having them. I finished my shopping after seeing this incident and I felt bad for that mama. So much so, that I felt the need to go talk to her. Before checking out, I went and found her and said, "Excuse me ma'am, I overheard the incident with your son earlier." She quickly replied, "I'm sorry." I continued, " I just wanted you to know you are doing a good job, Mama. Raising kids isn't easy, I have six, and I know how rambunctious little boys can be. I just wanted you to know you are not alone and you're doing a great job." She said " Thank you. Six kids, wow!" I smiled and walked away. You see, I've been there. I've been out in public many times when my children have acted out, and several times when I have been completely embarrassed by their behavior. And I have walked away from those situations feeling defeated as a mom. I imagine that poor mama at the grocery store felt the same way, but after being berated by strangers she probably felt even worse. But what about those adults? I witnessed each person's actions, and I dare say, the adults behavior stood out to me the most. That little boy is still learning, but us adults....we should know better. This incident taught me two lessons: 1) Encourage others, build them up. 2) Think and pray before I react to something. My prayer is that I will always be able to exert self-control and watch my tongue when dealing with others. No, I'm not perfect, and I've ran my mouth rudely before as well, but I'm striving to do better with that from now on. Take a moment today and think of someone that you can encourage. Who knows? It may be the exact thing they need to hear to know they are cared for, thought of, and not alone in this world. "So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing." ~ I Thessalonians 5:11 Joyfully His, Andrea
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For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. " AuthorHi! I'm Andrea, wife to my handsome hubby, homeschooling mama to my 7 amazing blessings, and daughter of the King of kings. I am so glad you have stopped by my little piece of the web. My prayer is that the Lord will use this blog to encourage you in your personal, daily walk with Christ. Archives
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