At the usual coffee bar I go to, I sat about two tables away from a group of young girls and boys who were spilling out their frustrations over the flaws seen in their families, respectively. It all seemed so huge hearing them talk about it. They all pined for perfection and yet according to the standards they each had set for themselves. That already by itself seemed shortsighted to my mind. I could be wrong but
That made me think.....
Really, if on some days they get on your nerves or if they seem to impede your progress in whatever you have set out for yourself or when they seem to be oblivious to who you are and what you do..... think again.
If you wished that you had your friend's family as they seem to be so adorable and perfect.... think again.
If you feel that your wings are being clipped unreasonably (that's what you're thinking anyway).... think again.
If you feel that God isn't fair because He gave you such a not-so-cool family..... think again.
And THINK you should.
Wanting a perfect family? Don't sweat it at all because you can't and because you won't have one. You can't choose them as they can't choose you either. God had other things in mind when He gave you to each other. So if you're seeing flaws in them and you feel that you could be better off without them.... think again.
As a mother (as all mothers would agree), I die a thousand deaths to my own dreams, goals, preferences, and plans...... everyday. I can't be myself sometimes but I am me where it matters most to be me ----. a mother and friend. Aside from being the maid and yaya..... driver (to school and back)..... cook (well, pancakes at least)..... laundrywoman (hankies and socks matter too, right?)..... seamstress (broken zipper and missing buttons)..... and other dozen-and-one things they can think of for you to do for them. Not discounting too those times of feeding bottles, diapers, and thermometers of long ago years.
But that's okay because that's what mothers do. So much the same way that fathers have their own tasks rolled out for them, too. So do children... they too have their own respective roles to play as members of the family. That is by Divine Design.
God had something else in mind when He gave you your family and It may not fit your own set of standards and expectations of what a family should be. But whoever told you that HE has to consult you for everything HE does, particularly in your life!?
You don't get to choose your family, really. Somebody up there does that for you. HE is better at it than we could ever be by ourselves. Like many things in life ---- it may not be what you want but maybe it is what you need!
Further, allow me to quote these lines from the prayer of ST. FRANCIS...
LORD, make me an instrument of your PEACE.
Where there is hatred, let me sow LOVE;
where there is injury, PARDON;
where there is doubt, FAITH;
where there is despair, HOPE;
where there is darkness, LIGHT;
and where there is sadness, JOY.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as TO CONSOLE;
to be understood as TO UNDERSTAND;
to be loved as TO LOVE.
For it is in GIVING that we receive;
it is in PARDONING that we are pardoned;
and it is in DYING that we are born to eternal life. Amen
-------------------
Unquote
And THAT is what we do to each other in our families inside the home. Humans are not perfect but FAMILY LOVE IS!
May God bless you and your family.
(Thanks to the internet for these lovely images.)
