The Lesson of the Shoes

The exasperated sigh escaped from my lips as I addressed my daughter. "B, when will you learn that your shoes belong in your closet?! Not scattered across the living room!! I can see 3 pairs just from where I am standing!" My rant came to an abrupt stop when I guiltily see 2 pairs of my own shoes also littering the same area. Witnessing this scene, my husband jokingly gave me a dose of my own medicine, "Melissa, when will you learn that your shoes belong in your closet?! Where do you think she learns it from?"

Ouch. We as moms experience daily reminders of our shortcomings. Anybody else relate? Do you ever catch yourself yelling at your kids to be quiet?  Or telling them not to be bossy. <Insert long list here!!> We could probably all take a dose of our own medicine at times. Our kids learn both the best and the worst from us.

It's so easy to see and address the shortcomings of others. But it's not so easy to admit and address our own personal shortcomings.

In Matthew 7, Jesus addresses this issue of blaming and judging. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

Applying this to my life, I'm sure if correctly modeled the use of closets and shoe placement (and with many reminders), my kids would eventually catch on. But they're not going to want to and they won't respect me if I don't follow my own rules. 

But even more important than the shoe situation, am I correctly modeling the life of Christ? Do my kids hear me pointing out the fault in others? Do they see a difference between my 'walk' and my 'talk'? It's humbling to think about.

I came across this sign with a definition of motherhood. 

Today is a choice to serve our children, to teach them life lessons, to model Christ, and to forgive ourselves for our own shortcomings!