Occasionally when my Jackson (5) gets upset with me, he will say, with furrowed eyebrows, “Mommy, you’re not being NICE!” Well, that swiftly piles extra punishment on him!
One day after he said that, I thought, Am I being nice?
Of course, he was mad because he had not been allowed to do something, or had something taken away, or had simply been told to be quiet. I don’t remember the offense, but I felt very convicted as I realized that the way I handled him really wasn’t nice.
That led me to a verse I consistently use with others, but I seem to forget that they apply with my children as well!
“Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another” (Ephesians 4:32).
I try to practice kindness to everyone around me. My fellow church members, piano students, friends. But I so often overlook my own family.
The word kind here means “mild or pleasant”. Is my manner with my children mild and pleasant? Sometimes it is, but I often forget that they are little people. And all people have feelings. I can be rude, or brush them off. But I am to be pleasant with them.
If my children could put it into words, would they say I am pleasant? I fear they would not. Ouch!
But who better to receive my kindness than my very own household? My own precious little ones should receive far more kindness than the cashier at Walmart. But I get comfortable and forget.
And let’s not forget our husbands. Who receives more kindness? Strangers, or our hubbies? Double ouch!
That one gets me!
I am so grouchy and grumpy with my husband sometimes! But I want to practice kindness on him! He deserves it more than the librarian!
There are many other Scriptures that give basic commands. We need to apply them in our family life. Verses about preferring one another, speaking kindness, practicing charity.
I don’t know about you, precious mommy, but when I’m up to my eyeballs in laundry, dishes, and meals, it’s easy to overlook my little people as what they are: people. They have feelings and their lives are being shaped and molded every day.
Let’s practice kindness on the most important people today: our families!
❤ Joy