So Sunday, I blogged about denial. And briefly mentioned how after Peter had denied Christ 3 times, Christ later asked Him 3 separate times “do you love me?” Of course, Peter answered yes. Christ then instructed him that, “if you love me, feed my sheep”. I have been fascinated by this idea of feeding the sheep for the past couple of days.
And, I can’t help but think about my own little sheep, Ryan and Lauren. What am I feeding them? Are they getting nice healthy yummy gobs of fresh green grass, or simply my leftover grass at the end of the day that is wilted and dried out. They deserve all the green grass I can offer them.
And it’s not that I’m not a good mom, that’s not what I am saying. But could I be a better mom? Yes. Instead of taking away the Wii for a week, and constantly threatening to take it away longer, maybe I could give them a chore that helps somebody else. Instead of yelling at them to stop yelling at each other (this is truly one of my remarkable parenting skills LOL), I can require that they say 5 nice things about each other before moving on. I actually tried this yesterday, and it worked great. They went from yelling at each other to giggling at each other in about 2 minutes flat, it was AWESOME!
It just seems as if it is time to rethink some of my parenting strategies, so that I am not only leading my sheep out of danger, but also teaching them the way to keep out of it themselves.
GREAT parenting tips!! And life tips really... so important to train up the next generation, and to remember that we're in training all the time too. Bet you're a fantastic mom!! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I could stand to revamp some of my parenting strategies. Right now I'm reading the 5 Love Languages of Children (or something like that). I don't read a lot of parenting books, but this one is really helping me to understand how to love my kids better.
ReplyDeleteI love the feed my sheep metaphor. And the most important sheep we can feed is our children. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteI've had a lot of these same thoughts, you're not alone. Ideally I'd love to be a mother out of the overflow of what He gives me, but too often they get scraps from the bottom of the barrel.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of parenthood, I'd love to invite you to join us Thursday's for Mama's Heart..mom's sharing their hearts :)
Blessings,
Erin
I love your words...rethink my parenting strategies..
ReplyDeleterethinking and trying something different...good! makes sense...sometimes I get in a rut of doing the same old thing and wondering why it isn't working...hum?
Love you girl:)
I love this - What am I feeding my sheep? This is something I've been questions for a long time. Thank you for reminding me to give my sheep the fresh green grass and not the dead grass I feel like so often. :)
ReplyDeleteStephanie,
ReplyDeleteYour lamb is totally adorable, and this is a good question for not just you, but for all moms to ask of themselves. I know the grass I feed is often whatever I have leftover.
I like this new way of thinking about a parenting topic we all struggle with!
Sweet lamb. Love the idea of having children say five nice things about each other. I'll be asking myself this week, "What do I feed my sheep?"
ReplyDeleteLove the post and your blog. So glad to get acquainted!
ReplyDeleteShelley