Jenn’s Journey

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Welcome to Monday's blog! This will be a busy week getting ready for Thanksgiving. Wishing you safe travels, happy times with family or friends...and lots of pie! :)

I've had a lot of fun spending time in my daughter's 1st grade class. Today we made turkeys out of cookies, chocolate frosting and various candies. Kids have such creativity. Their joy and enthusiasm is contagious!

It's quite interesting to observe behaviors.  It can't help but make me think. My daughter was involved in a squabble today over some crayons. One of the girls in her group picked up two crayons from the floor and said they were hers…however they did not match the brand she had on her desk. Then she insisted that they belonged to the boy at the other desk. My daughter claimed they were her crayons and that the other girl had borrowed them. This went back and forth for several minutes. Long story short, the teacher came to solve the issue and decided to take away the crayons. My daughter insisted that the other girl had borrowed them and they were hers. Again, the other girl was questioned and finally owned up that yes, she had indeed borrowed the crayons.

A couple of us talked afterwards with the teacher about this little spat. How easily the entire thing could have been solved if the girl had just admitted that she borrowed the crayons in the first place. Yet, it seemed that being right meant more at the moment. Oh, how I resemble this! Sad to say! How many times has being right meant more to me than backing down on an issue or argument? Too many!

I've decided that I need to strike the word 'but' from my vocabulary. At least when it comes to something I've done wrong. "But she made me mad so I had to say something.” “But he cut me off on the freeway so I had to flip him the bird!”  “But he said,” “but she said,” but, but, NO MORE buts!

Why is it so difficult to just admit a mistake? And why do I want to point out others' mistakes?  I think it boils down to pride. I don't want to be the only one with flaws. Or maybe I want to deflect the attention from mine to the other person's. Either way, it's a way of seeming in the right.

"Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us." Romans 12:3

Until next week, be blessed,

Jenn