MONDAY MOTIVATION

I'm starting something new this week.  It's called Monday Motivation.  Each Monday I'm going to issue a challenge for the week, for myself, and if any readers want to join with me, even better!  These challenges are things I need to do to be a better wife and mother.  I will do my best all week to live up to, and follow through with the challenge (and by posting it here on the blog I will have a little extra incentive).

THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE:

SMILE AT THE CHILDREN AND BE PLEASANT.

You may be asking yourselves why someone would need to set a goal such as this.  I will tell you why.  If I play back in my mind many of my interactions with my children, especially when it comes to discipline, I picture a stern look on my face.  I want to be able to discipline without being emotionally involved.  I not only want to be able to discipline without negative emotions I also want to be pleasant.  Proverbs 16:21 says, "The sweetness of the lips increases learning."  If I want my children to learn from my instruction then I will need to listen to God and use sweet words.    If I were to hold up a mirror to my face throughout the day as I am teaching and training my children how would my face look?  Angry?  Stern?  I want my face to look pleasant as I interact with my children.  And taking it a step further......I want to smile!  How many times a day do we smile at our children?  Sometimes I am distracted by dinner preparations when a child is telling me something and I brush them off or give them a blank look.  Other times I remind them to do something with an agitated look on my face.  Maybe you have the same struggle.  This week I am challenging myself to SMILE at the children as much as I possibly can.  I'm going to challenge myself to smile even when it is difficult, not just the times when it would come natural.  I am going to make a choice to smile and be pleasant all week!  This is an area the Lord has shown me that I need to work on.  Join me if you will!