Focus—having An Eternal Perspective - The Gentleness Challenge: a 7-Day devotional

“who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8, NIV)

I often encounter young mothers whose jaws drop when they hear I have ten kids, yet my hardest mothering years were when I “only” had two under two. Why were those the hardest? I had no perspective. I had no concrete answers to questions about if they would ever sleep through the night, be potty-trained, stop sucking their fingers, quit having nightmares, get over these tantrums, and on and on.

It all felt a bit overwhelming, and understandably so. It was all uncharted territory for me. As I kept having kids and they got older, achieved more milestones, and developed good habits, I began to relax a bit more. And I became BFFs with perspective. “This too shall pass” took on so much meaning for me.

Not one single stage of childhood lasts forever, for good or for bad. Which means that whatever it is your kids are doing that seems to be making it impossible for you to speak gently will not last forever. Repeat after me: “This is not that big of a deal, and it will eventually resolve itself.”

It’s kind of life-changing, actually. Of course, the biggest dose of perspective is this: Christ Jesus, “who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8, NIV).

ACTION STEPS:

• As you begin your day, ask God to give you the mind of Christ in dealing with those seemingly endless stages of frustration, especially with young children. Ask for the strength and perspective to recognize these behaviors as fleeting and an opportunity for growth and maturity.
• Write down two things you can do consistently and calmly (dance parties, making a smoothie, going for a walk together) to defuse emotional and frustrating situations today.
• Check in with your accountability partner(s) and let them know your plan.
• Ask how you can pray for them.