The Message Once Again

Something I wrote before and needed to read again, which is usually why I write what I write… because I need it. So a little throw back Thursday for today. It seems so often I receive the same message from a variety of places. Sometimes it takes me time to realize it, but eventually it hits me that I keep receiving the same message and it must really be speaking to ME. This week from everywhere I read, listened and felt, I kept receiving the same message. My devotional, the book I was reading and where I felt my frustration coming from. Find the good. Look for the good. Look over the rest. Find the good. Every little bit of good. It is much easier to find faults, what we are doing wrong and what we could do better. It takes much, much more to look over, ignore and be ok with those imperfections, that we all have, and then embrace, acknowledge and point out the good in each and every one of us. When you find yourself starting to criticize, stop…take a breath and find the good. We all have good. Start looking for it. I love finding the good.

Especially in my kids. It is so easy to nitpick all day with how they eat, how they talk to each other and how they could do so many things better. I get tired of hearing myself. Yes, we are their teachers. Yes, we need to help them be respectful, kind, well-mannered and polite. Yes, these things are very, very important to me. But, we can also give them a pass every now and then, and let just a few things slide. Some days, I would like some passes too. I do try hard to be respectful, kind, well-mannered and polite, but I know I mess up most days as well. So yes, please give me a pass every now and then too.

With our spouse, it is also so easy to focus on our frustrations as well. It is tough being a spouse…especially when we are a parent too. This is the person we always expect to be exactly what we need, even though we usually forget to tell them what we need. Communication. The key to so much, but so often gets lost in our hectic lives. Lighten up on your spouse. Life is rough. You will feel better too. Our spouse needs to get a pass every so often as well.

Our friends. Why are we so hard on our friends? We love them but we always have an opinion. We are different. We are all far from perfect trying to juggle family, spouses, kids and more, then desperately trying to have friendships. Overlook our imperfections or embrace them. We all have them and that is what makes us all so special. Many of our imperfections can be fun. Laugh at yourself. Laugh together at your differences. Learn more about your differences and also what has brought you together. Find the good.

Our family. I find it hard as you grow up to live your life and not wonder why you make so many different choices than the rest of your family. This, my friends, is a beautiful thing. We are all so different, which makes everything we all do so exciting. Love and learn more about your family and what they are doing. Look over their messes and find their good. It is there. We all have it. It is different for us all and that is ok. Be who you are and love who they are. What a great lesson for our kids…to be who you are and be proud of it. Find the good in each of us.

Don’t forget to find the good in yourself. Embrace yourself for who you are and what you believe. You are unique and different, and that is what makes you special. You can’t truly give love to others until you truly love yourself.

Love them. Love all of them and find their good. There is so much good there. Do not miss it. You can learn from it. I am going to try harder at this, because this can be hard but we can do hard things.

Let us lean toward grace, and overlook imperfections, instead of pointing them out. If we are looking for the mess in others- we will find it. If we learn to look for the beauty in others- we will find it. What you seek, you will find.

Enjoy today,

Kelley