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Day 116: A Work in Progress


July 9, 2020


As a kid, I didn’t get in trouble a lot.  My parents made the rules and expectations clear and I never wanted to disappoint them.  But every now and then, my temper would get me in trouble.  My younger sister and I were 3 ½ years apart so we played together most of the time.  Arguments were inevitable because we are both bossy.  One time she made me mad and I called her a “fatty”.  I am not sure why this made my mother so mad except maybe because my sister was a little chubby, but boy, was my mom mad!  She told my dad and I was “grounded” for the first time in my life.  (Nothing too horrible… I had to play only in my room, alone, for a few days.  It made me appreciate playing with my sister.)  That consequence is not what made an impression on me.  It was what my mother said.  She said, “Did you stop to think how that might have hurt Charla’s feelings?”  That made me cry and regret my words.  I was ashamed of myself for being so mean.  I wish I could say this was the only time in my life that I said words that I regret, but no, it still happens to me daily.  It is a struggle that I face and hope to grow out of by the time I am 60.  (I better hurry…)  In the meanwhile, I will ask God for help controlling my tongue and ask all the people that I hurt to forgive me.  As the saying goes, “Be patient, God isn’t finished with me yet.”  These verses inspire me in my journey:  Philippians 1:6 (TLB)  “And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns.”  And Philippians 1:11  “May you always be doing those good, kind things that show you are a child of God, for this will bring much praise and glory to the Lord.”  We are all a work in progress!  Smile and be joyful!   

A song about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6q0OdioJXE


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