Oh Be Careful Little Mouth!- 52 weeks of family scripture memorization

Oh be careful little mouths what you say, oh be careful little mouths what you say.  For the Father up above is looking down in love, Oh be careful little mouths what you say.

Bring back memories?

Does for me.  We used to sing that song to our little kids all of the time.  It's cute.  It's catchy.

And boy is it full of truth!

We need to start singing it again.  Trust me.

We have one child in particular that tends to lash out in anger with ugly, often hurtful words.  It is his line of defense. 

I am mad.  I will say mean things.
I am confused.  I will say mean things.
I am scared.  I will say mean things.
I am tired.  I will say mean things.
I feel threatened.  I will say mean things.

See the trend?

We are working on it daily, but it surprises me almost every time.  How can this sweet, loving boy turn into such a hateful little guy so fast?

We have talked about how your words have consequences.  How once you say something you cannot take it back.  How once you hurt someone, they tend not to trust you anymore.  How it grieves God's heart when you say unkind things.

It is a heart issue, I know.  Something deep inside of him that he can't quite put into words yet.  But he is working on it.

He is not alone.  Because every time I point out to him that speaking unkindly is a sin and that when we sin we are hurting not only ourselves and others, but we are also  hurting God, I wonder how often I, too, have a heart issue.  How can sweet me turn into a hateful person so fast?

How often do I get mad and say mean things?
How often in my confusion do I say mean things?
How often do I get scared and say mean things?
How often do I feel tired and say mean things?
How often do I feel threatened and say mean things?

I am working on it too. 
How about you?

And so instead of just singing the song, this week we are reciting the verse!  Over and over again!

Let us not sin in anger!  And let us allow the Lord to close our mouths and heal our hearts!

Blessings,
 

Angry Words- 52 Weeks of Family Scripture Memorization

Today we are adding on to our verse from last week.  Go ahead and try- you can do it!

Anger

An emotion that can get the best of us, and our children if we are not careful.  

My youngest knows this well in our home.  His natural tendency when angered is to lash out.  When he first came home at age 21 months he would slip into times of rage when he did not get his way, when he was frustrated, or when he was scared.  At times is was terrifying.  Praise The Lord, most of that behavior has subsided, but he still battles with controlling his temper.  

Words slip out of his mouth that are hurtful and harsh sometimes, and I have to remind him that while it is ok to feel angry, it is NOT ok to use hurtful words.  Let's just say, we work a lot on the "catch your words" concept.  That once you say things, you cannot take it back.  That once someone hears something, you cannot make their ears forget what they heard.  Words spoken in anger hurt other people.

Oh, how many times a day does God wish I would "catch my words?"  It is not just a little kid problem.  It is a human problem.

I see it in Walmart when a parent yells at their child for disobedience.

I see it on the street when a driver yells at someone who accidentally cut in front of them.

I see it on Facebook when someone responds to a post with harsh words because they disagree.  

I see it in spouses who are suppose to love and respect each other.

Honestly, I see it in me more times than I care to admit.

And it always leads to evil!

This week, let's hide God word in our hearts and remember to "catch our words" as we teach our children about God and His love.  His words are the BEST!

Blessings, Michele

Dealing With Anger- 52 weeks of family scripture memorization

After a challenging month with a huge chunk of scripture, we are going to make things a little simpler for a while and focus on children's behavior- with help from the Psalms.  Simpler in length, not in concept!

Our kids are 7, 12, 16 and 20.  The two youngers are boys, the olders are girls.  The two middles are also getting ready to have birthdays.  The youngest, for the record, was born in Guatemala and not brought home until was 21 months old.  Just want you to know where we are coming from.  We tell people all of the time that the youngest is still in the training stage.  That is only partially true.

Aren't we ALL still in the training stage in at least one area of our lives?  Or several!

So, let's do some training- for those kiddos in our lives and for ourselves!

Anger!

We tell our kids all the time that it is ok to be angry.  The problem is how we handle our anger.  Some of us are better at it than others. 

It is ok to be angry-

but 

not to hit

 not to bite

 not to throw a tantrum

 not to pout

 not to say unkind words

or...you name your response.

Because those responses are sin.

  

And God does not like sin.

It seems simple but it is worth remembering in times of anger.  Let's teach our kids, and ourselves, acceptable ways to respond with anger without sinning.

And then let's remind them that God ALWAYS forgives us when we do sin!

Blessings,

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