Last week I was thinking about some of the traps I fall into as a Mom. I realized that a big one for me is linking my children's behavior to my competence as a parent. Sometimes their good behavior can make me prideful, but it is more often that bad behavior makes me embarrassed.
I was convicted that as they get older, I need to be mindful of what God is doing in their hearts and lives and remember He made them for His glory...not mine.
That seems simple and straightforward until I catch myself getting in a tizzy about something relatively unimportant and run it through this filter. Is this about my glory? my adoration? dare I even say, my worship?
When/if it is, I need to back off.
I know it is a fine line...they need to learn respect, manners, discipline,etc. But, frankly, when it comes to my children, sometimes so do I. I must submit my pride and desire for approval to God's authority and allow Him to search me and keep me honest about my motives. (Shifting uncomfortable as I type...) This lesson may be lifelong.
5 comments:
Can I copy and paste this post? So there. So caught in the same traps. So humbled.
We are NOT alone!
I'm very guilty of this. I am also prone to judge other moms' parenting based on the behavior of their children. I'm not proud of that.
So true and so articulate!!! Thanks for this reminder!!!
Wow, I've been thinking about this a lot recently! I have a 2-year old (and a 4-month old!) and I worry so much that I put unfair pressure on him because I see him as such a reflection of myself. It's not fair to either of us really. Glad to know I'm not the only mom who thinks about this and feels it's a struggle.
a lesson I will be learning along side you....difficult realization about myself...
Post a Comment