A New Year, A New Challenge

I'm not really one for New Year resolutions. If I want to change something in my life, I just do it. I don't wait for a New Year to change things. Plus, I think a lot of people make resolutions just because it's a new year, not because they actually are resolving to change something about their life.

That being said, a friend posted this blog on facebook and it posed a challenge to start the new year that I am actually interested in. Actually, it's not just an interest... it's a need. This is something I need to do.

It's a call to gentleness. Anyone who knows me, knows that gentleness is not and never has been my strong point. I have a temper. I yell at people. I tell people off when I think they've done wrong. And I'm generally not very nice about it.

For a long time, I really liked this part of my personality. People tend not to mess around with me because they know I'll take them to task for it. It served me well in the professional arena. People knew what I wanted, when I wanted it and that I would let 'em have it if they didn't deliver.

However, I've found this quality to be extremely problematic with my role as a mother. You see, a toddler doesn't understand why I'm frustrated. My toddler can't just do what I want them to do because, well, she's just a toddler!

I lose my temper. I raise my voice. I expect more than she is capable of delivering. I take frustrations out on her or her dad when he gets home. Neither one of them deserve that.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that I'm a horrible mother and wife. I'm actually a very good mother and wife. But I can be better. This is an area I've been working on lately and praying about constantly. So to start off this New Year, I'm taking the Gentleness Challenge. I pray that I can grow to be a gentle mother and wife.

For any of you who are interested in joining the challenge with me, here's a link to the site.
http://womenlivingwell.org/2012/01/introducing-the-gentleness-challenge/ Encourage me in this. Hold me accountable. Pray for me to become a gentler mother, a gentler wife, a gentler person.