Attitude Adjustment
I can remember growing up and hearing my mom remind me to “change my face.” That reminder probably came after being reprimanded about something, and thus an ensuing attitude. I most certainly needed an attitude adjustment.
Guess what? I apparently still do.
Children have this uncanny ability to say and do things in a way that causes the wrongdoing of their parent to be exposed. It’s like a superhero power bestowed upon children at birth.
They make honest commentary on what is happening around them and they make very plain how they are perceiving your life.
So very recently, my daughter spoke truth in such a way that really made me take inventory of my life, change my perspective…change my attitude.
We were having fun together, laughing about something silly, when all of a sudden she ran up to me, threw her arms around me, and said, “I love it when you are happy. Sometimes while we’re homeschooling, you look upset and I try to cheer you up, but mostly it just doesn’t work.”
Ouch.
My daughter is seven years old. As an adult, I can remember moments from when I was seven years old. I also remember what the atmosphere was like in my home and whether or not my parents were happy – with each other, with us, and with life.
What will she remember about this time period in her life when she, herself is an adult?
When she said this to me, I was aware that I had a lot of emotionally heavy things going on. The truth is, I have much less patience and I am a lot less pleasant when I am stressed, tired, and discontent with life.
And my disposition begged the question of why I was feeling this way in the first place.
Was my trust really in God? Was I trying to solve problems on my own instead of with God’s wisdom and strength? Did I really trust that God’s word is true?
When my children are older, I want them to remember that homeschooling was a fun experience that all of us, including mom, enjoyed. I want them to remember that when they were young, they were my gifts from God, not my burdens.
I want them to realize that life is not always easy but that how we see our problems, struggles, and worries can look significantly different when we change the perspective from which we are looking.
Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”
True faith in and dependence on God has to mean that even when I feel defeated or in an impossible situation, I don’t have to dwell in that place or place all of my focus and attention on precisely what is depressing me.
It doesn’t mean that I ignore problems. However, I can ask myself, “What changes is God trying to make in me, in spite of my situation?” Maybe there’s a bigger lesson. Maybe I’m not as perfect as I’ve made myself out to be.
If I constantly allow my own worry to put me in a place where stress is affecting my ability to parent with joy, then I am seriously neglecting one of my life’s most important, God-given missions. My ministry to my children each day is hardly glorifying to God.
So I’ve been looking toward “my everlasting rock” and making some changes. I got over the initial shock of my daughter’s words. I went to the bathroom, cried, prayed, repented, and now I am moving on, hopefully to become a better person.
I’ve even managed to – “change my face.”
