Day 17: Making Mistakes

via My Recipes

A few days ago a friend brought over cinnamon rolls for our family.  Some of the kids snatched one up right away, but it was almost bedtime before Peter wanted his.  It was too late, I told him, he could have his in the morning.  

The next morning when I went into the kitchen with Peter all the rolls were gone!  I was horrified.  What about Peter?  What about my promise?  I knew the culprit who had eaten all the extra cinnamon rolls and shouted his name the moment I saw the empty plate.  I found him in another room and gave him the scolding I thought he deserved.  I stomped back through the kitchen and to the laundry room to calm down.  

Calm came quickly and with it regret.  Each of the children came solemnly to me to give me hug good-bye before they left for school, everyone but the one I'd scolded.  I hurried to see if he was gone and he was halfway to the bus stop.  I shouted to him, wishing him a good day and telling him I loved him.  My words sounded hollow and he didn't turn around.

When I went back into the house I felt horrible.  I ruined the spirit in our home, everyone could feel it.  I'd wounded my son.  No amount of cinnamon rolls was worth the hurt I had done to him and our home.  I wished I could start over.  I wished I had handled it differently.  I wished I didn't have a tendency to blow up like that.

I make mistakes in mothering.  I make mistakes in my life.  Sometimes I seem to float through the steps of my life like a graceful dancer and then other times I blunder, crash and step on toes at every turn.  I simply can't get through life without making mistakes.

I can't talk about a Christ-centered home without talking about mistakes.  Mistakes are inevitable.  We get to choose every day what we will do and what we will be.  Sometimes we make poor choices, even horrible ones.  That is why we have a Savior.  He came because I would make mistake after mistake.  What matters in my life and in my home is that I pick myself up from my mistakes and turn to the Lord, repent and make things right.  I also must point my children to Him when they make mistakes, and for me to be as compassionate with their mistakes as I hope they will be with mine.  When Christ is the center of my home no mistake is the end of the story.  It's just the prelude to a new one.