incredible
Well, I have another story to tell about my niece. Its the little one again this time.
My mother, since retirement has spending a great deal of time with the grandkids. Now that Daniel is in school, most of her time is spent one on one with little Gracie...let me refresh you, this is her...
I mean...isn't it a shame she isn't cuter? (Said no one ever...)
Anyway, she is not alone adorable...she happens to have a lot of spunk as well. Today she and my mother were riding down the road and she pointed out to my mom a park that they had played at MONTHS before. My mother was surprised that Gracie could remember that and declared,
"Gracie you're incredible!"
Nooooow there is something else you should know about Miss Gracelyn. In her current stage of life she wants to be taken seriously and therefore finds the need to argue every point, especially when her two year old intellect has not caught up with what you're saying to her. She also is in a phase where she HATES to be laughed at.
She responded sharply to my mother with "No I'm not incredible!!!" at which point my mother couldn't help but laugh. This of course only aggravated the situations.
I have laughed out loud every time this scenario has crossed my mind today but now, as I sit here in the quiet considering somethings, I can't help but see myself in little Miss Gracelyn Joy.
A very simple lesson the Lord started teaching me about a year and a half ago was this, "Just say thank you."
I struggle to see the positive things that others see in me and so when they share them with me I tend to argue. Does that sound like any two year old's you can think of? I can counter almost any compliment with reason's why it is incorrect. I am so swift to point out my own flaws instead of graciously simply saying, "thank you."
In some twisted way, I taught myself over the years that gratitude in those situations was really just pride and that self deprecation was humility. This makes me laugh thinking about how stupid it actually is. I have since come to realize that self deprecation often stems from pride. If I point out my lack then you wont have to for me, I'll beat you to the punch because I KNOW we were both thinking it.
The opposite is true as well. There is a level of humility in having the confidence to simply say, "thank you" when someone encourages you.
This is a constant battle in my life. It is a retraining of the brain that has been so programmed to fight against the positive things that are pointed out to me and walk in a confidence and humility in them.
I'm going to do something now that is very out of my character. I am going to tell you some things that I have either been told, or know that I am gifted in. I am not saying these out of pride, in fact, it is very awkward and humbling for me to say these things and mean them. So here goes...
I am a very gifted singer. I can lose myself in the presence of the Lord through music.
I am fun. I love laughter and have very little shame when it comes to getting really silly.
I am a pretty solid problem solver and conflict manager.
I am a peace maker.
As a leader, I try to never ask someone to do something I am unwilling to do myself.
I love my family and friends very deeply.
Ok...that's enough.
That was very hard for me to write. I was struggling to come up with things that I think I am good at. In the back of my mind I was still hearing all the reasons someone else who reads this might not think I am.
I actually wrote the first one and then stared at this for a long time:
I am...
I want to stop fighting my strengths or being ashamed of them. I want to stop self deprecating and point out my flaws instead of embracing them. If someone tells me I am incredible...I don't want to argue that I am not.
I am incredible.
We all are.
We all have gifts and talents. We all have things that make us amazing.
We break the heart of the Lord when we don't embrace all the He made us to be. He we are handiwork. We are His original masterpiece
And He thinks we are rather incredible.
My mother, since retirement has spending a great deal of time with the grandkids. Now that Daniel is in school, most of her time is spent one on one with little Gracie...let me refresh you, this is her...
I mean...isn't it a shame she isn't cuter? (Said no one ever...)
Anyway, she is not alone adorable...she happens to have a lot of spunk as well. Today she and my mother were riding down the road and she pointed out to my mom a park that they had played at MONTHS before. My mother was surprised that Gracie could remember that and declared,
"Gracie you're incredible!"
Nooooow there is something else you should know about Miss Gracelyn. In her current stage of life she wants to be taken seriously and therefore finds the need to argue every point, especially when her two year old intellect has not caught up with what you're saying to her. She also is in a phase where she HATES to be laughed at.
She responded sharply to my mother with "No I'm not incredible!!!" at which point my mother couldn't help but laugh. This of course only aggravated the situations.
I have laughed out loud every time this scenario has crossed my mind today but now, as I sit here in the quiet considering somethings, I can't help but see myself in little Miss Gracelyn Joy.
A very simple lesson the Lord started teaching me about a year and a half ago was this, "Just say thank you."
I struggle to see the positive things that others see in me and so when they share them with me I tend to argue. Does that sound like any two year old's you can think of? I can counter almost any compliment with reason's why it is incorrect. I am so swift to point out my own flaws instead of graciously simply saying, "thank you."
In some twisted way, I taught myself over the years that gratitude in those situations was really just pride and that self deprecation was humility. This makes me laugh thinking about how stupid it actually is. I have since come to realize that self deprecation often stems from pride. If I point out my lack then you wont have to for me, I'll beat you to the punch because I KNOW we were both thinking it.
The opposite is true as well. There is a level of humility in having the confidence to simply say, "thank you" when someone encourages you.
This is a constant battle in my life. It is a retraining of the brain that has been so programmed to fight against the positive things that are pointed out to me and walk in a confidence and humility in them.
I'm going to do something now that is very out of my character. I am going to tell you some things that I have either been told, or know that I am gifted in. I am not saying these out of pride, in fact, it is very awkward and humbling for me to say these things and mean them. So here goes...
I am a very gifted singer. I can lose myself in the presence of the Lord through music.
I am fun. I love laughter and have very little shame when it comes to getting really silly.
I am a pretty solid problem solver and conflict manager.
I am a peace maker.
As a leader, I try to never ask someone to do something I am unwilling to do myself.
I love my family and friends very deeply.
Ok...that's enough.
That was very hard for me to write. I was struggling to come up with things that I think I am good at. In the back of my mind I was still hearing all the reasons someone else who reads this might not think I am.
I actually wrote the first one and then stared at this for a long time:
I am...
I want to stop fighting my strengths or being ashamed of them. I want to stop self deprecating and point out my flaws instead of embracing them. If someone tells me I am incredible...I don't want to argue that I am not.
I am incredible.
We all are.
We all have gifts and talents. We all have things that make us amazing.
We break the heart of the Lord when we don't embrace all the He made us to be. He we are handiwork. We are His original masterpiece
And He thinks we are rather incredible.
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