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I was unpacking my bags after a trip away at Allume when it hit me. I was missing something….but what? I looked at my “beauty” bag and realized it was not as full as when I left. I sighed in exasperation.
I had left my beloved chi, on the counter in Greenville, SC. I was devastated.
I told my husband what I had done, and he suggested I call the hotel. My daughters came running in the room, and asked what was wrong when I told them, my oldest exclaimed,
“YES! Now, I am not the only family member that forgets things!”.
I looked at her surprised, and then remembered a little girl who had come home from camp, two years in a row and had heard about all the things she forgot. From soap, to towels, to a bag full of dirty clothes…
Yet, when she had forgotten those items, she wasn’t met with the same grace that my husband had extended to me. No, the first year, I was furious. A whole bag of dirty clothes? I mean who does that?! I had reminded her numerous times this year before she left to NOT forget anything at camp.
So, when her mother had arrived home having forgotten something, of course, she was thrilled.
As parents, how often do we expect near perfection out of our kids? A spilled glass of milk, forgotten clothes, a grass stain or hole in the knee of a pair of jeans. These are all typical childhood mistakes, yet often times they are met with frustrations. We don’t want to clean up yet another mess, we don’t want to make a trip to look for that lost shoe, and we don’t’ want to have to scrub a stain or patch a hole on a nice pair of jeans.
But, how would I feel if my mistakes were met with the same frustrations? A busy day led to no time to cook dinner, a day of writing means no time to fold laundry, and a distraction at the grocery store means I forgot to get that loaf of bread. I would be hurt and disappointed if my husband threw my simple mistakes up in my face. Yet, how often do I do the same thing with my children?
Moms, I hope I am not the only one who makes these mistakes, and if I am, that is okay too. Because you see I believe God is using mistakes like this to show me the bigger picture. How often does He extend me grace? Even though, I am sure He gets frustrated with me. I can’t imagine how often He shakes His head at me and thinks,
“Misty, you know better than that”.
Yet, He loves me anyway, and He extends me grace, despite my misgivings.
Now, I never did find my chi and have instead been straightening my hair with an old hand me down flat iron. But, I am thankful I forgot it. That forgotten flat iron may have cost me a pretty penny (if I ever decide to shell out the money for another one) but, it also taught me an invaluable lesson.
To extend grace, the kind of grace I would like to receive when a mistake is made.
To remember that my children are still growing. Mistakes are bound to happen.
And to remember to give grace to me. Yes, I am bound to fail, but I am still growing as well. The Lord is molding me, and shaping me into the mother He knows I can become. The growing pains may hurt, but they will be worth it in the end, and I am so thankful He is still working on me!
Image courtesy of nuttakit at freedigitalphotos.net
Yes, that very well may be the reason. I think we just expect so much…. but we don’t stop and fully think of what we are asking. Grace is a beautiful thing and something we should give more often <3
This is so true, Misty! I’m not sure why it is that moms are so hard on their kids. Possibly because we are also very hard on ourselves and it just spills over onto those we love. Thank-you for this beautiful reminder. We need to be more ready to give our families (and ourselves) grace!
I’ve been there too. I think most parents have at one point scolded our children a little to harshly then realized to late that we just made our child feel horrible instead of applauding them for stepping up and saying “mom, I forgot something really important” and owing up to it.
Thank you Chelsea! Glad to know I’m not alone!
What a great reminder! It’s easy for us to rule with an iron fist against our husbands and our children, but we make mistakes too. There are days I fail and fall short of everything I wanted/needed to get done, and the family suffers because of it. I’m glad on those they are understanding and not harsh. Good reminder that I need to be understanding too. Thanks so much for linking up with Tuesday Talk today! 🙂
So, so true! I have to remind myself of this over and over, in particular because I want my children to grow up knowing grace and being able to share it for themselves.
Thanks for linking up at the SHINE blog hop!
Cheers, Amber at OurCharmedLife.net
Thank you! Yes, we all have lessons to learn about making and handling mistakes!
Your welcome!! Remember to give yourself grace as well 🙂
Lol! Yes, my mornings are telling the girls to get moving while I sit and “work” AKA “network” 😉
The flat iron was a valuable lesson, both monetarily and emotionally!
Aren’t children wonderful? They remind us of our own human frailties. Yeah, I am being sarcastic. Ugh. So sorry about your hair curler but it’s obvious it was an important lesson. You handled that well. I’m going to go get washed and dressed before I get on my sons for not doing the same an hour ago. Ahem.
Thank you, thank you. I have a daughter that I know that I’m to hard on for little things. I’m going to practice having grace just as I appreciate having grace bestowed upon me.
Oh Misty, what a lovely reminder. I am guilty of expressing those frustrations too but you’re right, those mistakes need to be treated as such… and gently too!
Thanks so much for sharing.
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo