Welcome to those who are dropping by after reading my column in today’s Free Lance-Star! I am so glad that you are here.
In today’s column I wrote about the damage that is done when we do not control the words that we say or the way that we say them. I was recently introduced to the concept of a no-yelling-at-the-kids-challenge by a friend of mine. It seems that there is a whole movement of mothers who are trying to tame their tempers and change the way they react to their children.
And while this challenge was originally created for mothers with children at home, I believe that anyone could benefit from committing to improving the way that they communicate with those around them.
You can find out more about the challenge on the Orange Rhino Challenge website. She has lots of great tips and even has a “yelling meter.”
This is definitely proving to be MUCH harder than I thought it would be. I have not made it one day this week without losing control of my temper and yelling at my kids.
Some things that I have noticed . . .
1. There is no way that I am going to be able to do this on my own. It is going to require a constant dependence on the Lord for the strength to control my words and my temper.
2. It was probably not a good idea to start this challenge during a week that my hormones are going crazy . . . if you know what I mean.
3. I need more sleep. When I am tired my patience level completely bottoms out. Time to put the books away, turn off the TV and go to bed at a descent hour.
4. My biggest trigger is when they have repeatedly done something they are not supposed to do and instead of taking them time to discipline them at offense number one or two, I wait until my frustration level builds to the point where I cannot help but explode. So I am trying to make a concerted effort to stop what I am doing and correct the situation as soon as it arises.
I have started to memorize Scripture verses about anger and the power of the tongue. I have also realized that I handle my day so much better when I spend quiet time with the Lord in the morning instead of waiting until the kids go to bed at night. If you would like to join me, here is a great verse with which to get started:
Proverbs 15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.
How about you? I would love to hear what areas you struggle with the most when it comes to communicating with the people in your life. They say that publicly setting a goal greatly influences whether or not we reach that goal, so please share your goal and plan for getting there.
I am going to be sending out encouraging notes several times a week and checking in to see how you are doing, so make sure to sign up to receive my blog updates in the upper right hand corner. I promise to never inundate your e-mail inbox!
This won’t be easy, but with the support of like-minded individuals, prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit we can do this!
