Showing posts with label Proverbs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Proverbs. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Choosing JOY (Proverbs 17:22)




What makes you feel joy? Sometimes in the trenches of taking care of toddlers, I forget about choosing to be joyful! Sometimes I realize I am being a grump, and then sometimes my kids remind me. Today, Gavin said "I don't like it when you talk mean, I want you to talk to me like this: (sweet sing-song voice) 'Hey, Gavin, how are you today?'"  All right, I get it - lighten up Mommy! 


I definitely prefer pleasant wrinkles to developing a permanent grump-face!

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Proverbs 16:6, 7, 28, 32 Love generously. Love God. Love your enemies. Don't gossip. Control your anger.

This chapter is amazing! There are so many incredible verses that I think I should just memorize the whole chapter. Here are just four verses that spoke to me about praying for the world and the persecuted church, as well as how to consider my words and my heart in dealing with people, especially my children.
Proverbs 16:6-7, 28, 32








Thursday, July 10, 2014

New Post Series: Pondering Proverbs (Post 1: Proverbs 28:13,15)

I have lost my blogging motivation (as you can see by the lack of posts). But today as I was reading Proverbs I was blown away by how much I need the Word to guide me - in particular, as a mom.

I think I will post on my struggles in this area and how I am trying to apply Proverbs to my life as a parent. 

I am writing this blog series to confess and renounce my sins and hopefully start a new pattern as a parent for my children.



Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people. ~ Proverbs 28:15

Anyone who is not close to me probably thinks I don't get angry much, and I guess I have pridefully wanted people to think I am a gentle and slow-to-anger person. Actually most of the time I don't get angry, except with the people I am closest to. This breaks my heart as I see my sin of anger through the lens of Scripture (which oh so lovingly kicks my butt).

Too often, I allow my anger to direct my responses to my children. A few weeks ago I wrote down some of the things that seem to trigger my anger in this area. Here was my list:

  • whining
  • kids ignoring instructions
  • repetitive disobedience ("potty" words, climbing on the couch)
  • bullying/fighting
Any other moms have triggers like these? (I have three boys, ages 4, 2, and 8 weeks - maybe I should go ahead and add "sleep deprivation" as a trigger!)

I realize that I am a relatively new parent but I definitely have a long way to go with patience. I also know by this time that my own efforts are USELESS in controlling my temper. I hate myself for yelling or snapping at my kids, and then I do it again. I get angry when I am ignored and tell myself "they only listen when I yell!" But yelling only makes my words impossible to hear. Who listens to a charging bear or roaring lion? You just try to get out of its way!

I confess this here (and have confessed to other friends and family also) so that I can hold myself accountable to discipline my children out of love.