Hurry Up Messes

A friend of mine recently used the phrase, "hurry-up messes" in a note she wrote me.  Whether those were her exact words, or whether that was the idea of what she said I don't recall, but as I have been thinking about what to write this week this phrase has jumped out in my mind.

How many times do we create a mess simply because we are in a hurry.   The socks on the floor because we were searching for the pair we wanted and did not take the time to put the others away; the bed unmade because we did not allow the extra two minutes to straighten the sheets and covers; the papers on the desk we did not put away because we worked too late -- messes that are left because we did not allow or take the time to put them away or clean them up.

Maybe allowing margins in our day and schedule is not a bad idea.  Leave a bit of extra time, so when a mess is created (and they will be, for that is part of life) you have the time to put it away/clean it up.  Doing so creates the opportunity to come back to a clean space rather than one that is full of hurry up messes. 

Beliefs affect everything!

What one believes affects everything!  Does it really?!?  Yes, it does!  Whether it is what you believe the weather will be like for the day, or what you think of God and the Bible, or what you believe will happen when you sit in a chair.  What we believe or think about something or someone does have an effect on our life.   

What we believe about God and what the Bible has to teach us affects more than just some areas of life.  It does, or should, affect everything!  If I believe God exists and is interested in my life and has a design for me to live in a specific way, I will live in such a way so that my thoughts and actions reflect or are in line with that plan. 

If I believe the sun will shine all day, and warm the air, I will not wear my heavy coat.  If I believe the bridge I am going to drove over is not safe, I will choose a different way to go home.  Whether big or small, what I believe does affect what I think and ultimately what I do. 

Valentine Wishes

As Valentine's Day dawns, I wish you a day full of the reminders of those you love and that love you.  May you be blessed by the family and friends around you who love you, and may you in turn seek to bless them.  May you pass love on to those around you whether family, friends, aquaintances or strangers.  May God's great love shine in your life on this day and every day.

Parents, children and boundaries

God gives parents such great treasures in our children, and with those treasures such tremendous responsibility to raise and teach them - to help them become individuals who are joyful and purpose driven to glorify God and bless the lives of those around them. 

As my children are getting older, I am realizing more each day the delicate balance between being a mom who does things for her children, who does things with her children, and who allows her children to do for themselves.  The boundary expansion from an infant or toodler who needs supervision and guidance in everything to more individual freedoms as they get older and more mature is challenging for parent and child.

A parenting class my husband and I took once used the term, parenting inside the funnel.  The concept is that each child lives in a funnel of boundaries.  As a toddler they are at the bottom of the funnel where the boundaries are very restricted.  As they grow in age and maturity, they move up the funnel and the boundaries are expanded.  If you allow freedoms outside the funnel wall your child does not have the ability or maturity to appropriately handle those freedoms and the result is poor behavior or frustration for the child, and unnecessary challenges for the parent. 

I appreciated the following post I read this week.  As I seek to "parent in the funnel", I hope to develop a home life free of the frustration for myself and my children that comes by placing too many restrictions or allowing too much freedom.