On a piece of paper that was once part of my credit card billing statement that says, "This page was intentionally left blank" I have written some Bible verses/words of wisdom that really spoke to me in this stage of my journey as a parent. I was so inspired when I read them that I immediately grabbed the nearest piece of paper (thus, the credit card statement) and scribbled them down. I've never transferred them to something that's prettier, I just folded it up and have it in my desk drawer. I pull it out every morning and read the words there. Each morning, the words still speak to me, so I thought I would share them.
"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1
"A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul." Proverbs 18:7
"He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin." Proverbs 13:3
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11
I think of these words all day long as my kids and I go through trial after trial. Yesterday, I recalled that last verse as I battled for two hours with Pumpkin when he threw a tantrum over his cracker being in pieces, and then he would not say he was sorry for throwing the tantrum. I recalled those words and held fast, and he did, in fact, cave in and say he was sorry. It was a testament to the fact that children understand so much more than we think they do. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he was letting me know that he knew. He's got a stubborn streak. I just can't imagine where he got it from. Certainly not from me. (wink)
Do you have any words of wisdom that you live by, that give you encouragement when things are hard?
After extensive, double-blind, real-world testing of each the hypothetical outcomes in these verses, I (and my testing partner[s]) can verify these are indeed true.
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