Do you ever learn things just from listening to what you tell your children? It happens to me every once in a while.
On Monday, it happened as I was talking to a discouraged daughter. She has some learning struggles. On this particular day, she was working on spelling. We've been working daily on phonics rules, and these spelling words were applying some of the rules we've been working on. She was forgetting to apply some of the things she'd been working on.
I could see her begin to droop. 'Why can't I remember these? Why am I not good at this?' I reminded her to just keep going and think ahead to the next word. By the time she finished and sat down, I could see her discouragement in the form of the tears running down her cheek.
I reminded her that she is still learning, and that she is doing fine. I told her it was all right if she didn't remember everything every day. I was telling her not to let a few mistakes keep her from moving forward and working on the next subject on our agenda. 'Put it behind you and keep moving ahead to the next thing.'
As I was talking to her, I realized I was talking to myself, too. Be it a new schedule, keeping up with the house, exercise goals, Bible reading, or anything else. I need to remember not to give up after one bad day. But, instead, to pick up right where I left off the next day. Keep getting back up on the horse.
Yes, I tend to think in the same exact way my daughter was thinking. After one missed day, I tell myself, "I can't.' I want to throw up my hands and give up. But, it is so important to keep moving forward. I know it gets quoted a lot, but it is still a good truth to ponder for our daily responsibilities and ambitions in the home:
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 3:12-14
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