Miss Boo: I want to go with you. I want to go in the store.
Me: I know, but we have to pay the gas station lady first.
Miss Boo: Why?
Me: Because we bought gasoline and we have to pay for it. We have to wait for her because there's only her at the whole gas station and she's very busy.
Miss Boo: But I want to go in the store! (eyeing the gas station attendant askance)
Me: We have to be patient with her. She's very busy, and being grumpy to her won't help her go any faster, it will just make her sad. We have to patient and kind.
At this point I realize that I've been hurrying my kids along all day. *facepalm*
Then I came home to read, in Educating the Wholehearted Child by Sally and Clay Clarkson, about the quality of graciousness, i.e. dispensing grace. And it occurred to me that the essence of grace is compassion--compassion feeds grace and grace feeds compassion.
If you have compassion for someone, you will be able to extend them grace much more easily. And once you've extended someone grace, you feel more compassion for them. It's nice how the Lord makes that work out.
I wasn't upset with the gas station lady because I felt compassion for her. Other people were being rude, disregarding instructions, and deciding to do stupid stuff like, after she'd rung something up, saying "oh, and add a Pepsi". I've worked behind a cash register before, and I could empathize. On the other hand, I was tempted to get (okay, let's admit it, I got, although I tried to rein it back) upset with my kids because I wasn't empathizing with them. They've been cooped up for days in 105F weather, which must make disassembling the couch look appealing.
So I asked Miss Boo to forgive me for "talking grumpy", which she very sweetly did. And for the rest of the day I hope I can be as gracious to my kids as they are to me--with the enabling of the Gracious Lord.
What, you didn't think the teachable moment was for the kids, did you?
Cheers,
Breanna
Me: I know, but we have to pay the gas station lady first.
Miss Boo: Why?
Me: Because we bought gasoline and we have to pay for it. We have to wait for her because there's only her at the whole gas station and she's very busy.
Miss Boo: But I want to go in the store! (eyeing the gas station attendant askance)
Me: We have to be patient with her. She's very busy, and being grumpy to her won't help her go any faster, it will just make her sad. We have to patient and kind.
At this point I realize that I've been hurrying my kids along all day. *facepalm*
Then I came home to read, in Educating the Wholehearted Child by Sally and Clay Clarkson, about the quality of graciousness, i.e. dispensing grace. And it occurred to me that the essence of grace is compassion--compassion feeds grace and grace feeds compassion.
If you have compassion for someone, you will be able to extend them grace much more easily. And once you've extended someone grace, you feel more compassion for them. It's nice how the Lord makes that work out.
I wasn't upset with the gas station lady because I felt compassion for her. Other people were being rude, disregarding instructions, and deciding to do stupid stuff like, after she'd rung something up, saying "oh, and add a Pepsi". I've worked behind a cash register before, and I could empathize. On the other hand, I was tempted to get (okay, let's admit it, I got, although I tried to rein it back) upset with my kids because I wasn't empathizing with them. They've been cooped up for days in 105F weather, which must make disassembling the couch look appealing.
So I asked Miss Boo to forgive me for "talking grumpy", which she very sweetly did. And for the rest of the day I hope I can be as gracious to my kids as they are to me--with the enabling of the Gracious Lord.
What, you didn't think the teachable moment was for the kids, did you?
Cheers,
Breanna
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