More grace, less control

You know, we all do this.  We try to control what others are doing, thinking, saying and even how they act towards us.  We get frustrated, wish that person would change, and then nothing changes!!  Maybe we need to try something new and end this cycle. Well, my kids teach me valuable lessons every day.  What I have learned most recently from my 3 little blessings is this exact concept.  How I react makes all the difference! For instance, today, my little boy Jaxon was tired.  He was just “off”.  I found myself starting to think about this concept because when kids get tired, nothing in the world seems right to them.    Or – my daughter, Madison didn’t want to wear her socks under her boots today.  Complete tear filled breakdown about SOCKS.  I explained to her that if she didn’t wear socks, she would get blisters.  She (being only 5) kept crying and saying – “I promise I won’t get splinters in my feet”…thinking she could control the “splinters” aka blisters.  After much convincing (and bribing with donuts) she wore those socks.  As parents, we can get frustrated and react in the same way that they are acting OR we can elect to react in a different way.  How I react makes a big difference in the environment I help to build in our home. What about with people that are not my children?  What about when someone acts in a way that I don’t like?  What happens when I get “annoyed” with someone?  How do I react?  Well, since I can’t control them, I need to look about how I am reacting to them! I think about this a lot.  Truth – “everyone has their issues and everyone is going through something”.  People usually act out because of what they are dealing with in their own hearts…not the issue at hand.  When I can remember this, it helps me to react in a much more gracious way. A good question we can all ask ourselves, “What are they going through today?”  What if we turned a situation around to look at what someone might be facing in their life and stop taking offense? What if we had grace on others, and offered understanding towards others? What if we stopped and thought about our reaction before actually reacting? Less control, move compassion and more grace each day!! –Rachel Curtis]]>