Today on Bloom we have a Mothering submission from Sarah Powell. I think you'll love what she has to say--it'll make you stop and think...
Our pastor's wife at church recently hosted a series for young women
and one of the topics was kindness. She shared this verse (Col 3:12-13):
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves
with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each
other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you." She then posed this question, "What do you
clothe yourself with in the morning?" I think as women we tend to think, worry
or even fret about what to wear. We want to look nice for our friends and
family and to give a good first impression. And I am certainly not saying that
that is wrong. I feel like it is important as mothers and wives to take care of
ourselves so that we can in turn take care of our families. Her question really
stuck with me though. At what point am I more concerned with my outward
appearance than what I wear in my heart and in my actions. My young children (3
1/2 and 10 months old) certainly appreciate when Mommy looks nice and smells
good...in fact my little girl will tell me over and over. But I am most certain
that what type of clothing I wear will not make the lasting impression on
them that my actions will. So I have been taking on the daily challenge of
CHOOSING to clothe myself in kindness. And can I tell you that our entire family
has felt the change. When Mom chooses kindness on a daily basis, the whole
attitude and air in the home changes. Patience, understanding, love and
compassion flow more easily when kindness is the focus. I can tell you it is
not easy. But each morning I choose to give as much thought to what I will
clothe myself with, as to what I will wear. So as Julie challenged me, I ask
you "What will you clothe yourself with today?"
and one of the topics was kindness. She shared this verse (Col 3:12-13):
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves
with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each
other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you." She then posed this question, "What do you
clothe yourself with in the morning?" I think as women we tend to think, worry
or even fret about what to wear. We want to look nice for our friends and
family and to give a good first impression. And I am certainly not saying that
that is wrong. I feel like it is important as mothers and wives to take care of
ourselves so that we can in turn take care of our families. Her question really
stuck with me though. At what point am I more concerned with my outward
appearance than what I wear in my heart and in my actions. My young children (3
1/2 and 10 months old) certainly appreciate when Mommy looks nice and smells
good...in fact my little girl will tell me over and over. But I am most certain
that what type of clothing I wear will not make the lasting impression on
them that my actions will. So I have been taking on the daily challenge of
CHOOSING to clothe myself in kindness. And can I tell you that our entire family
has felt the change. When Mom chooses kindness on a daily basis, the whole
attitude and air in the home changes. Patience, understanding, love and
compassion flow more easily when kindness is the focus. I can tell you it is
not easy. But each morning I choose to give as much thought to what I will
clothe myself with, as to what I will wear. So as Julie challenged me, I ask
you "What will you clothe yourself with today?"
7 comments:
That is awesome! Thanks for sharing.
I *love* this idea! Thanks so much for sharing. I work with the young women in my church and this will be a great lesson to share with them, too. :)
Thank you for this. Sometimes we need reminders like this of what's really important in life.
I love this! I'm going to talk about this with my daughter- she loves clothes way too much for her young age, and this is the perfect way to redirect her focus (and it's something I need to think about, too!). Thanks for sharing!
I love the emphasis on choice. It's so true, we decide what to wear and how to act. Good reminder. Thank you.
Wow! What a great post! I loved your honesty and the reminder of how easy it is to lose track of our priorities through the busy-ness of motherhood! Thanks, Sarah!
I absolutely LOVE this! What a great reminder, thank you.
Post a Comment