God Smack

If you need to be humbled, get some kids.

Sook talks about people that just don't get it..."someone should smack them on the side of the head to knock some sense in them." Sometimes I fall into that category.

Kids do such stupid things we just don't understand. I remember when one of the girls was too young to talk and I was trying to put her in the car seat. She was so frustrated because the process wasn't going smoothly that she started a tantrum, throwing her arms around and screaming. This made the buckling of the seat way harder, and even though she didn't understand me, I told her that if she would just calm down this would go much quicker. Then I stopped. I realized I was doing the same thing.

I was going through a phase where I was not content so my prayers would sound like a whiney child, or even angry. "God PLEEEEEASE give us more work so we can have more money...." or "Why, why, WHY GOD do I have to drive such an ugly car"....well, I don't know exactly what they were, but I know I was not content and I was throwing a tantrum while God was helping me....but since my knowledge is limited, it was like I was the toddler that just needed to trust her Mommy.

Kids also are so smart. They ask questions that are so innocent yet brilliant, like the other day when we were driving. We had a kid's music CD playing and I song that we have heard like one hundred THOUSAND times was on. It says, "....building others up, with a kind word or compliment, a friendly howdy-do...." and one of the girls asks what it meant to build others up. I explained that it was important to think of how we can make others feel good by what we say.

We had just been to gymnastics and Savannah had a new leotard on. She felt so beautiful. I love to see the girls when they feel good about themselves.... but then I overheard her talking to another little girl about how beautiful she (Savannah) was. So, in the car I used that as an example of how maybe it would have been better to compliment the other girl instead of herself. All the while, I knew I've been struggling with the same thing.

I've been going in and out of depression for a while and depressed people are usually thinking about THEMSELVES. gulp.

Oh, kids also humble us in other ways, like when you are in a busy Rainforest Cafe bathroom, all squeezed into the largest stall, and one of the girls compliments the color of your panties....but that is a different post.

Sometimes it's the adults who are self-centered, selfish, pouty, envious, etc. It's just shown in different ways. Those times we just need a smack upside the head to knock some sense into us.