 |
| 4 sleeping and all 5 of us fitting in 2 airport chairs Can you see Zig Zag? |
At the same time... the extended traveling means we don't eat as well as we normally do, we have very irregular sleeping, we sweat a lot (no car AC again this year!), and our kids still put their dirty hands in their mouths! Thus the kids all have colds and today was their breaking point - at any small inconvenience.
This reminds me of the extra grace that my children and I need these days.
Grace at 4am US time, as we sat in a 90 degree church for over 2 hours in a language my children still don't understand and my almost 8 year old just wanted to go home because she was so tired! So she cuddled up on my lap (which is so culturally inappropriate for an 8 year old in the Sahel)! And although I let her cuddle - making both of us twice as hot - I was thinking of the people judging me as a mom still coddling her 8 year old. There are probably those thinking it's no wonder she won't go to Sunday School. Or I am way too lenient as a mom. Yet, those people have no idea what conveniences and comforts we give up to live here. Now I believe giving up those conveniences and comforts are to our benefit in the long run anyway. But still at that point it is so obvious to me that the people around me have no idea what the last week has been like for our family.
And so I am reminded to look in love instead of judgement toward others. I am going to add this to my morning prayers this week. We really have no idea what has gone on in their lives. And this can even be applied in my family with my children - if I look not to judge them, but to love them. Maybe it's with tough love or maybe it's with a seeking for deeper understanding of the situation rather than a snap reaction. May the Lord give me this strength.
-- La Maestra 
No comments:
Post a Comment