The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
1 SAMUEL 16:7
Reflection Questions
1. Do you tend to look at results, or at how hard someone (including you!) tried, and the attitude of the person's heart?
2. What difference might it make in your personal life and home life if you began to concentrate on your family's heart attitudes and left the results to God?
1. I used to just look at the end result until I had JC. I used to be all about appearence of me and my house, the cleanliness of my car, among other things in my life. I remember getting mad at Gene when JC was born because he would be home all day while I was at work and managed to get nothing done around the house. It took me awhile to see that he was really doing the most important thing- keeping JC happy and alive! How could I be mad at him for being incapable of multi-tasking like I could. I have also learned that as long as my car is running it really doesn't matter that there are crushed crackers on the floor and extra clothes in the trunk cause it is the vehicle that screams I have the most important job in the world- I AM A MOM.
ReplyDelete2. I tihnk once we learn to accept the things in life that we can't prevent...like why that maid of mine never seems to show up and I always have to clean instead. I remember a time when I was running around the house trying to do about 100 things before dinner and out of no where JC comes up and says "Mommy come sit with me". At first I was aggrevated cause I really had a lot to get done but then I realized it wasn't just JC asking it was God saying slow down, relax and enjoy these little moments...the floor isn't where you eat the table is and you can wear laundry right out of the dryer if they don't end up in the drawer in a timely manner. So by having JC I have learned that I need to leave the big things to God and cnosentrate on loving my family as much as I can.
1) I'd like to say I definitely always look at the heart that was put into something, and not just the outward appearance or the result, but then I'd be lying. I *think* I've always tried to look at my kids' efforts at what they do instead of looking for a perfect outcome. I do worry sometimes about the appearance of my house or my car, but, really, I can't complain when I spend time with my girls instead of doing. I love that phrase "God made us human beings, not human doings." I think where I have to work on looking at the effort is with other people. I usually try to see that effort in people instead of the end result, but I forget sometimes. It's just something to work on.
ReplyDelete2) I'm going to try to remember to concentrate on all of our heart attitudes and let God work out the rest, because I know He will. I'll also try to help my girls work on the attitudes of their hearts, and I would imagine all of us will have more joy in our lives.