Quick, Slow, Slow

One of my favorite blogs to read is The Simple Wife. I just love, well, her simplicity. I was feeling kind of in a funk this morning and was already super snappy with everyone, probably mostly from exhaustion from our long weekend and the thought of all the laundry and "putting away" that I had to do today. Anyway, I was checking up on some email and blog reading that I had missed over the weekend, and clicked on The Simple Wife. Instant message from the Lord.

If you get the chance, check out her blog post, because she words it so much better than I'm going to be able to, but she talked about feeling really convicted about a certain Scripture in the book of James. (Interestingly enough, I had just gone through the book of James a few days ago, so I was fresh with this passage.)

Everyone should be quick to listen,

slow to speak,

and slow to become angry,

for man's anger does not bring about

the righteous life that God desires.

James 1:19-20

I guess that I have always viewed this passage as an "out-of-the-house" kind of instruction. Or as an inward attitude-check, but Joanne (The Simple Wife) pointed out that she was feeling it as conviction about the way that she parented.

Oh my. Did that hit home or what? I began to reflect and meditate on the passage of Scripture and came to the same conclusion. I don't have a problem with my temper or with anger management -- out in public. But, in my own home, I do get frustrated and aggravated...a lot. I realized that I am not being a good model for them. I often times am not quick to listen to them and hear them out. I become wrapped up in my own projects or schedules, and don't make as much time for them as I should to just LISTEN. I'm also not slow to speak. I'm very quick to speak. Especially to my kids. I find myself always barking or instructing or correcting...all day long...again, not stopping long enough to hear them out. And becoming angry? I'm pretty quick to become angry (more frustrated) with them, and I have a habit of raising my voice a little too often with my kids.

So, what have I learned? That if I want my kids to become tremendous men of God (and I've been entrusted with the job of raising them to be just that), I MUST be a model for them. How can they be expected to take on this way of handling themselves when their primary teacher (me) can't even handle herself in that way? I must be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Because more than anything in this world, I want my children and my family to have the righteous life that God desires for us.

Joanne pointed out that she was going to try to keep in mind "Quick, Slow, Slow" throughout the day as a reminder of this instruction. Me too.

Quick. Slow. Slow.

Quick. Slow. Slow.