I Just Cleaned the House!

You’ve been working hard all day. Not only did you have errands to run, but you cleaned your house and started your family’s favorite meal. As you look around, you feel really good with how it all looks and what you have accomplished. Then your kids come home from school and they shout, "What’s there to eat?" They drop their jackets on the floor and kick off their shoes. They drop their backpacks and head for the kitchen. You say, "Stop right there! Hang your jacket up and move your shoes out of the way so no one trips." "Take your backpack upstairs."

Once you get upstairs, you see that their school clothes are laying on the floor and the books are spilling out of their backpacks, so you tell them to straighten up their rooms. When it’s time for dinner, you ask them to come downstairs and you hear them answer, "Just a minute!" Five minutes later, you are still waiting. Finally, they come downstairs. After you eat, you tell them to take their plates to the sink. You are trying so hard to keep your house from looking like you never cleaned it. On and on it goes until bedtime; you keep having to tell your kids what to do. "Go wash our hands." "Don’t fight." "Stop picking on your sister." "Brush your teeth." "Take the dog out." "Go to bed." "Don’t forget to pray."

As you lay your head on your pillow waiting to fall asleep, you think back on your day. You realized that you have been scolding or reprimanding your children since they came home from school. In your mind’s eye, you again see each of their faces and your heart fills with love for your children. You wish you had taken the time to tell them how special they are to you. Do they realize how much you love their smiles and even their pouts? Do they know how funny you think they are and how much they fill your life with laughter? Do they know the gifts and talents you see developing in their lives? Of course, they will never know any of this unless you tell them.

Parents are under a lot of pressure with work, school activities, church activities, housework, yard work, etc., that it’s easy to forget the little things, like telling your children what you find special about them. Yet it’s these "little things" that will become "big things" in their lives in the future. They will want to live up to how you perceived them to be. Point out their weaknesses when absolutely necessary and don’t make a big deal about it. But when pointing out their strengths, tell them over and over again, and make a big deal about it. When children know that their parents like them, appreciate them, and enjoy them, it will help them to become emotionally healthy adults.

"Love is patient, love is kind...it is not easily angered, it does not keep a record of wrongs." 1 Cor. 13:4-6

Tags: Women, Families, Devotional, Children