So what have I learnt lately?
- That we need to grow in kindness...we tend to be kinder to those we're not very close to because we're more concerned about our reputation 'outside' than 'inside'. 'If a man is a Christian, the members of his household are those to know that and testify about him'. The close relations of family and friends that God blesses us with give us an opportunity to discover ourselves, spot our weaknesses and strive to get better in all things. These interactions teach us more about selflessness, servanthood and sacrifice; in short, they rid us of ourselves. One of the best places for Christian growth is not church, but our close relationships. The people closest to us deserve our best selves...in attitudes, love, character, kindness, etc.
- That our children are like sponges; they soak in everything we are. They pick up our moods, our responses to various situations we face, our tone of voice in different moments, etc. This is scary, especially since none of us is perfect, but this also affords us an opportunity to learn and grow. One Dayspring card I have puts it like this...the call to carefully craft and pass on virtues to our children (parenting) is a call to live a life 'larger than oneself '. We definitely haven't been called to do this on our own...without God, we'll fall apart 'trying to hold it all together'. Because our children reflect back to us 'what we look like', they're an immense blessing to us in the area of Christian growth. E.g. Do we hear our tone of voice when they yell at their siblings and friends when they're frustrated? Is that what we've 'subtly' passed on to them? What can we do about our lack of patience and mercy towards them sometimes? What habits do we need to stop for the sake of our children and ultimately for Christ's sake?
....Written on 24th January 2017
