It happened at church. My family had come early, and as we walked down the hallway, a young mother tried to drop off her two-year-old at the nursery. The worker explained that unfortunately they couldn't take any children yet. The mother's reaction caught me by surprise. She swept her child into her arms, shouted "Thanks a lot!" and stormed off down the hall. I forced myself not to turn and watch her stomp away. I couldn't believe she got that upset because the nursery wasn't open. After all, she had shown up early! And why couldn't she wait a couple minutes? I was tempted to think less of her after that situation. A few uncharitable thoughts went through my head. But I reminded myself that I, too, have over-reacted to simple situations. If that had been me, I would want others to give me the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she had just been given really bad news. Maybe she'd been feeling sick all day. Maybe she had had trouble with that particular worker in the past. While … [Read more...]
Mom vs Mom: Applying Grace
Not long after my son was born, I overheard two young mothers from my church discussing another woman with a toddler. The conversation centered around potty training and how this woman had done it all wrong; she regularly took her son to the bathroom rather than letting him make the decision on his own. Here's what I gleaned from that discussion: I'd best do everything right as a mom because all the ladies in church would bad-mouth me behind my back if I didn't, and I wanted them to approve of me. Isn't this a struggle for most moms? Although at my bridal shower the pastor's wife warned me to never compare myself to other women, I didn't listen. I tried to live up to the standard of the "perfect Christian mom" I created in my head. I studied a lot of parenting resources provided by Christian organizations because I was determined to raise my kids right. And sadly, I judged other moms who failed to parent their kids the way I thought was best. Gradually, God showed me that my … [Read more...]
Judge Not
We used to be a very active horse show family. Nearly every other weekend was spent at a show somewhere. Needless to say, we stayed in a lot of hotels. And each time we would rate that hotel as to whether we would stay there again or not. Now that those days are pretty rare, we have taken to critiquing hospitals! No, it’s not as much fun as staying in a hotel and sizing up their swimming pools, but I can tell you which hospitals offer the best nurses, the most edible cafeteria food (one even has room service!), and the most helpful staff. Unfortunately, I can also tell you where the washing machines and dryers are located on each floor, which elevators run the fastest, and where the best vending machines are at! I often joke with the staff that we are writing a review of area hospitals, that we are not just here visiting! Part of having a medically fragile child is being able to know the best facilities to take him or her. As Caleb’s mom, I know when even the slightest thing is … [Read more...]
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