The Middle Place ~ A Guest Post

The Middle Place

We have our Roots Below...our family. We have our Sky Above...our God. And this Middle Place is all ours to fill. It's the messy place where life is actually lived. Where we have our daily joys, our heartbreaks, and small miracles happen. This Middle Place flies by so quickly.  Please take a moment to look at the land where we dwell in between our mornings and nights. 
Written by you ~ about you.  Enjoy our guests as their share their middle places.

This week, my dear friend Traci shares her Middle Place with us.  To know Traci, is to instantly love Traci.  She is true to herself and loyal to her friends.  She loves country music concerts, clothes, and her family immeasurably.  I have had the pleasure to call her a friend for almost 20 years now.  What a gift!

Well, I have been forced to really take a long look at my patience level, parenting skills (or lack thereof), and the roll in which God's word should apply to all of these this past weekend. I took my middle child to a friend’s birthday party this Saturday morning and was quickly reminded how we have vast differences in our personalities.

He is the child in our family that can make me lose my temper one split second and laugh until I cry the next. His smile and his laugh are infectious. He is a cautious child and a lover. New situations with him must be approached like walking on an ice covered pond.

Long story short, he talked about this party all week and when we arrived he refused to participate. I tried to “hold his hand” a little to get him to warm up, but to no avail. I then thought, "Okay, what do I have to lose?" I will just let him decide when he is ready to join the party. Well, guess what? That never happened and we ended up leaving the party early so we were not to ruin the birthday child's day.

This had me fired up all day! I was torn with the idea that I somehow needed to punish him so he would learn that this behavior was unacceptable. Then, I thought that God would have wanted me to be more patient and guide him – boost his confidence. I think this is going to be a BIG lesson for me.

In all honesty I don't think I did what God would have had me do. Ephesians 6:4 says “Fathers do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” And, Colossians 3:21 “Fathers, do not embitter your children or they will become discouraged.” I sure hope the few little words I uttered did not wound his precious little spirit. So from now on I believe I will embed in my heart 2 Timothy 4:2 “encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.”

Parenting is a daily lesson. I can only hope I am doing right by them and not damaging their sweet spirits along the way. They are my life. This Momma bear has a lot of learning and missteps along the way I am sure. I am FAR from perfect. For now let's just pray that my “impatient” gene isn't passed down the line. There are just some things better left behind.