My Word........

Months ago, many of you selected a word for the year 2010. In all honesty, I had never thought about selecting a word to focus on for an entire year. Well, leave it to God's sense of humor, apparently HE picked my word for me.

The last few months the word that keeps coming to mind, being put on my heart, and one that is whispered to me in my times of whining is:

PERSPECTIVE

Apparently, this is my word for the year, and it has changed me in a great deal. WE all whine. We all have situations in our lives that we feel are tough. They might be tough, but one thing I have realized is there is two different kinds of tough situations. The first kind, will only last a moment or for a season. Now while you are in that season, you may at many times feel like it is NEVER going to end, but it will and you in your inner most heart know it. Then there is the Earth shattering tough. The kind, that may never go away, will change your universe as you know it, and will grow you in your faith and outlook more than you ever could have imagined. Either situation that we face and want to whine and complain about takes perspective, for somewhere out there, in our not far distant circle are people whose situation is worse.

When I was little, and didn't want to finish my dinner, my Grandmother (GG to my kids now) would threaten to send it to the starving children in.................(fill in the blank, for she did!) It was hard as a child to imagine kids in a world and place I could hardly imagine starving. Yet, they were, and still are. Perspective comes into play more, when you aren't focusing on the kids in ................... but rather, on people you know or see in our world around us daily.

Here is a sample of what is to come on Perspective. My family was waiting in line at a Lego store for the free monthly build. It was hot, and sort of a long line. As my children were beginning to whine, be bored, and basically be kids, we turned the corner of the vinyl ropes containing the flow of the line. Behind us, now in our line of site was another family. They had several kids, and were just as hot and tired. However, as I stood observing this family, the Dad reaches in the backpack connected to his daughter's wheelchair (Perspective #1) and pulls out her feeding bag, and proceeded to "feed" his daughter. (Perspective #2). You see my attitude changed in an instant. At that moment, it didn't matter how hot, tired, bored, aggravated, or irritated I was with waiting. I have been blessed with two very healthy kids. They can walk, and eat on their own. Whatever I had to whine about, I heard a small voice saying "What would they say to your problems and whining. They would probably trade you in an instant.

My lessons on perspective are not all that drastic, but it is one that has stuck with me for the last month or so. There have been many lessons, which I don't know if I will share or not, and every week God seems to be showing me there are more. Next time you whine, I challenge you to take a look at perspective and I am confident you will find it.

Funny

I carpool daily with my Sister in Law. It works for both of us. She does drop off and I bring the crew of children home.

The other morning, the kids were tired. I was tired. Because of life circumstances, I knew my SIL was tired. So I banked on her being a bit late in the morning. I let the kids sleep in for a bit. We didn't rush through breakfast. The kids were buying lunches that day, so nothing needed to be done on that front.


Then the phone rings. It is 7:40. Who could THAT be???? when I answered it was my brother announcing he was around the corner! He is 20 minutes earlier than my estimated and somewhat normal time for pick up. My response was:

HOLY COW!!! YIKES!!!!

(Okay in honesty that isn't really what went through my mind but you get the picture)

I run upstairs screaming as I am skipping stairs "Hurry! Hurry! Uncle Matt is HERE!!!!"

Bubba is naked in his room, not sure of what is happening but gets his rear in gear. Missy is right in front of me running moving as fast as six year old legs carry her. Literally as she is pulling pj's off, I am putting her clothes on. WE are a team. WE can get this done. We RUN to my room, and yank her hair in a ponytail. Off we rush for socks and shoes. Forget brushing of teeth, or bringing the extra stuff to school. WE are on a mission. The three of us clamor down stairs (giggling I might add). AS Bubba is putting on his shoes and hat (oh thank goodness for baseball caps!), Missy and I are putting on her shoes.

The three of us run out the door to the driveway, where my brother is waiting. Get kids buckled into the car and look at the time. In 5 minutes flat we went from leisure breakfast to dressed, and in the car. NOT too shabby for a Mama who was tired! My brother's response: "I didn't realize I was early, I thought I was on time!" OK, he was "on-time" and nice to his wife, but made me laugh all day long at the hilariousness of the morning.