Perspective

Hey, y'all!! We made it to the weekend... this week has been a crazy one in our house! I'm jumping in with the Gypsy Mama again this week for 5 Minute Friday. By now, you probably know the rules: Write for 5 minutes on the topic, no editing, no back tracking, just write...

Today's topic: Perspective

Go.

Yesterday, I wrote with Hearts at Home answering the question 'How has being a mom changed you?'. I thought of various things, but my perspective could have easily made the list. Have you noticed how things look different through your child's eyes than they do through your own? I remember when I taught preschool several years ago, we were always encouraged to get down to the child's eye level... to speak with them face-to-face and to also view the room from their lower point-of-view. This changes things.

And it's not just in the literal ways, but things also look different through their figurative eyes. Blankets can quickly become capes. Daddy suddenly is a villainous monster. Piles of wet sand, a nasty mess in my sight, are delicious mud pies. God has taught me to ask more questions. To hear their perspective before jumping to a conclusion. And I must admit that I don't always do the best at this... I tend to 'jump' first and then ask questions second. But what I've learned with this is that many times things made sense through their eyes. Naughtiness wasn't exactly intended, when the little person in question thought that her process was logical.

I'm also learning that this doesn't just apply to children. There are so many misunderstandings that could be avoided simply by my asking the right questions and getting to the 'level' of the other person... My view isn't always the right one or the only one (gasp, can you believe this?!).

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! I am finishing up a graduation cake for a party tomorrow and then leading worship on Sunday~ so excited about both! See you soon!


Five Minute Friday~ Real

It's Friday!! And I'm blogging along with The Gypsy Mama again this week. I have found that I love doing these posts... no pressure, just writing for five minutes on the topic given... no editing or backtracking. After a crazy week, it's nice just to dump thoughts on the page. 'Hope you've had a blessed week!

Real.

Lots of things come to mind when I think of real. The very first thing I thought of was butter. I know, I'm a little more like Paula Deen than a girl should be, but I adore real butter. I won't cook with anything else. And along those lines, I really prefer to serve my family things that are real vs. processed or full of preservatives. We do have a few vices~ I know that neon cheese does not exist in the natural world, but we do love our from-the-blue-box mac & cheese and Cheetos!

The other thing I thought of when I read the word 'real' was how nice it has been in the last year or two that I've let my real self show through. I finally gave up the notion that I had to appear to be someone else... perfect wife, perfect mom, perfect homemaker... Lord knows I'm not perfect in any of these areas, and it was exhausting trying to make things look like it. And that was just it~ I was trying so hard to make the outside of things look perfect that I was neglecting what was really on my insides. My heart was wearing out from all the striving. And finally I took to heart when I read 'Be Still.'. When I listened to this command (it's not a suggestion!) and told God I would listen to His truths about me, it was so much easier to grow on the inside and my life on the outside suddenly started to become something with meaning. Something true. And something that could be honoring to God, even in it's lack of perfection.

Real.



On Community

Happy Friday! Joining up with the Gypsy Mama... Five minutes on the topic, no editing or rethinking... just write. You know the drill~ click over and link up!

Today's word: Community

I never thought I needed it. In my darkest moments, the ones where I struggled with the voices in my head, the minutes that clicked by as I sobbed in the tub after putting two tiny people in their beds... those alone seconds that ticked past... I thought that those were the times I least needed people. I thought that my imperfections made it so important for me to hide. Because I couldn't mask it anymore, and I was so afraid someone would see.

Then we moved to Illinois. Our path changed direction, and we were thrown into this wonderful mix of people who weren't willing to let me sit on the sidelines. God wasn't willing to let me sit back and blend in any more, but rather He kept using other people to draw me out. And suddenly I had family. I'm not sure the exact moment that it happened, but one day after a few months I looked around and realized that in letting these wildly imperfect people into my life and my heart, I had grown.

And I still have faults, we all do. But in recognizing that God loves me in spite of them, and in being embraced just as I am by this crazy family, I realized that community was just the thing I needed. Jesus knew this. And I needed to know it too. Life isn't meant to be lived alone because we can walk through so much when we do it hand in hand.

 

I hope you have a great weekend! And don't forget to enter my Hearts at Home Book Pack Giveaway!!