Monday, January 21, 2008

Perspective

Things are a little dicey at my house. No one is sick, per se, but I just have a funny feeling K & R are teetering right on the edge. R had a fever last night and is coughing for the second day. K has complained of a tummy ache. We have been remarkably healthy this Winter, so it is probably our turn for the junk.

It is frigid outside and we Southerners have thin skin. I have frittered my morning away with HVAC repairmen (since our downstairs furnace went on the blink this weekend leading to temperatures below 50 degrees on the first floor of our home) and a gas guy who might be able to help me get a roaring fire in our family room for a low price. I am debating whether to get the children out of the house or not, seeing as illness and another wintry mix may both be on their way. As a result we've been indoors for 7 hours, playing every game imaginable and watching a few videos. We have cooked, cleaned and colored. Now we are bored.

Anyway, as I was pondering all this and how it certainly wasn't anything to write about, I was reminded that all this normalcy is real life. This got me thinking about how misleading it can be to only see a 45 second slice of someone's day. I write almost daily about one tiny portion of our life. There is so much more that, depending on the slice I recorded, would give a very different perspective. I could come here to complain or vent (sometimes I do). I could only write about the chaos, or the humor, or the difficult things. I could write only about the things I do well--or only about my failures.

I choose to use this blog as a place to chronicle the stuff I really want to remember. A place to reframe my perspective--to encourage myself, and maybe, encourage someone else that they are normal and not alone, in the process

Life is full of the inevitable, that is frequently not sweet, glamorous, meaningful or special. It is just real life. It is the life Sovereign God put us in and commanded us to live. I picked Grace-Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel up again last night. I admit I never read past the first chapter on my previous attempt. I still am only about 30 pages in, but loved the verse he chose as a Christian parent's commissioning:

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life...
Philippians 2:12-16

A worthy aspiration for me AND for my children. As we work out our salvation, even in the most mundane of circumstances, we are teaching our children. May we model for them how to "shine like stars."

Today is dull and boring. It is also a day the Lord has made. I will work hard to avoid complaining. I will rejoice and be glad in it. I resolve to look for the lessons and the joy in today (while praying tomorrow is warmer, healthier and more fun.)

8 comments:

Erin said...

I really love that book. Love the idea of parenting our children the way that God parents us - with grace.

Erik and I actually attended a parenting conference by Tim Kimmel this weekend, and I highly recommend his conferences! He has spoken at Family Life Marriage conferences for over 20 years, and now he is out on his own. We loved it!

I'll pray that God inspires you with some wonderful ideas for how to spend the rest of the day!!

Trudy said...

Finding joy in the mundane and less enjoyable tasks is a good challenge for me today. ...better get to work :)

Lizz @ Yes, and So is My Heart said...

Thanks. I needed that.

Ami said...

Thank you for keeping it real.

Beth/Mom2TwoVikings said...

I just wrote a huge rant to DaHubby via IM just as he was suppose to punch out and come home. Nice! Instead of being his haven, he knows he's coming home to chaos...again!

Perspective - I need to see this with His eyes, not mine. I really needed this just now. Thanks.

Pam said...

Sitting here after a relatively "normal" (read boring) day, myself.

Nothing exciting happening except staying close to a space heater that warms the colder corners of our home.

You are right that God made this day, too, and I will take some time before it is over to thank Him for the blessings of it.

Thanks, JMom, for the reminder and for the wisdom. Hopefully we'll get a break in this cold soon! I am such a wimp when it comes to the cold!

Kris said...

Thank you, I needed this today. Thanks for being real - it's good to know you have those 'blah' days too. Winter seems to bring a lot of those to our house.

Sarah said...

I've picked up that book before but can't get past the second chapter. Erin just told me the other day about seeing Tim Kimmel in a conference; I need to try the book again! I loved what I read so far.

Thanks for posting about long, boring days. Everybody can relate, and it's nice to know I'm not alone! You always have such a great perspective in your posts; what an encouragement you are!

(And I'm apologizing to you, just like I told Gwen tonight that I'm sorry I've been such a terrible commenter lately; now that all three kids are mobile, I'm having a really hard time keeping up!)