I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day and that you have had a wonderful week!
Last weekend I got chastised by my family; my little 3rd grader does not know how to tie his own shoes and it's Dads fault! Every one of them placed the blame on Dad...including the Little Dude. I am thinking to myself, "don't these people realize I wear flips every moment I can when I am not at work?!" How did I become the Tie the Shoes Guru? Clearly these people do not watch how I dress or walk...could be tied (no pun intended...o.k., a little intended) to how I tie my shoes!
On Monday it was on! I have the privilege of taking my little 3rd grader to school every day - man, I truly cherish that time! Anyways, we are getting dressed to go. I tell him he needs to tie his shoes. He says he can't tie his shoes fast... I tell him we have time. He tells me he doesn't tie his shoes good...I tell him to tie them the best he can and, if they are not tied tight enough, I will retie them for him. He starts fumbling around with the laces, stating how this is hard, this is dumb, I tie his shoes good enough for him (is he judging me?!?!), etc. I explain that he needs to learn how to tie his shoes as it is going to be a little awkward when he becomes the great Navy SEAL he dreams of becoming and I gotta go on every mission with him to tie his shoes...his look tells me he is not buying it. He goes back to complaining.
We have a beautiful bathroom in our new home. There are vaulted ceilings - vaulted ceilings in the bathroom...unbelievable! - and sounds echo. While the rest of the judgemental people I live with don't think I sing well...good...o.k., they say I am horrible, I think I sing pretty good! So I break into song while showering and getting ready...at least I think it is good! Anyways, Little Dude is in the bedroom complaining about tying his shoes, saying he can't do this, etc. Suddenly I start making up a little song:
"I believe in Landry/I believe in my boy/I believe in Landry/He is such a joy"
He knew how to tie his shoes. The problem was not in his knowledge or in his understanding. His problem was that he really needed to try, to stop complaining, to stop making excuses and to truly do the best he could. Once I started singing he gave up on the excuses - probably worked hard at it figuring the quicker he tied them the quicker I stop singing...I don't care what motivated him! - and did what he was capable of doing all along. On a serious note, I do know that hearing that I believe in him touched his heart. How do I know? As we walked downstairs together his sweet little 3rd grade voice starts softly singing, "I believe in Landry/I believe in my boy." In that moment his heart touches mine.
A few things:
1. Who in your life needs to hear you say, "I believe in you." Maybe its a song, maybe its saying it, maybe its writing it in a note. Whoever that person is, please tell them today. The words, when spoken/sang/written from a genuine heart touches the other persons heart in a way few, if any, other things can. Please follow through today and tell the person who popped into your mind when you read this that you believe in them.
2. The second time of singing through my new little made up song my spirit spoke strongly to me - "This is what God says about you." Wow! If you are a Bible believing person, then know this is what God is saying about you too. He is also saying it about people who don't believe in Him however if they don't believe in the Bible they sure aren't going to believe me! This morning, every morning and in fact every day, God is saying, "I believe in your name/I believe in my boy/girl/I believe in your name/He is such a joy or she is my pearl." Think about it Friends and let it speak to your heart.
3. Here is one more for you to chew on. My Bride and I were talking about all this last night after I got out of the shower - of course after singing the version for her to her...I am telling you, I sing good in the shower! We were talking about how a lot of couples - how we a lot of times - do just the opposite of saying, "I believe in you." In trying to prove my point, prove that I wasn't wrong in an argument, etc., I will tell her all the things she did wrong, where she failed, what she could have done better, etc. Aren't I, aren't you in those situations, really saying the opposite of "I believe in you?" If you really think about it, I believe we are. Instead of tearing down, trying to get our way, serve our wants, what if we truly spoke life into the hearts of our wives/husbands by telling them twice as many times that we believe in them as we do where they are wrong, where they fail, where they fall short? We are all wrong sometimes, we all have failing moments, we all fall short. Has anyone ever looked you dead in the eye in one of those moments and told you they believed in you? If so, you have never forgotten how that made you feel. Let's be that person in the lives of our wives/husbands today.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your precious families - no, I will not sing for you! I will always be willing to help you any way I can.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
No comments:
Post a Comment