WHY DO I NEED TO BE RIGHT?

     Close your eyes and see if you can you hear a recent conversation in your head . . . Someone you love, probably your husband, is telling a story in a group of friends and you observe that he made a small mistake on a detail -- well, of course, you do what any "good" wife would do -- you jump in and "fix" it for him. 

     Ohhhh!  The second I do that, I find myself mentally stomping my foot and physically biting down on my tongue.  Why did I do that again?, I fume at myself.  Why do I think I need to be right??!!

     A vicious cycle continues on . . . more "husband" stories, more "wifely" corrections . . . I keep learning the same lesson over again but it doesn't seem to stick in my head.  (And I'm the same mom who feels frustrated when my kids have to be told something more than ONCE?)

     I know my husband needs my honour far more than he needs my corrections.

     In fact, if I could replay all those conversations, I'm sure I would experience heat flooding my face and tears slipping down my reddened cheeks for the embarrassment of how TRULY TRIVIAL all my self-important corrections were in hind-sight.  I've heard that hind-sight is 20/20 and I'm sure my source of wisdom is correct.

     I love my husband too much to keep on correcting -- "God, you've got to help me humble myself so I can keep my lips still in these moments of life."  I'm capable of so much harm and so much good ~ all wrapped up in the package of one wife.

     Do you know what's worse?  Now my oldest children are getting to the age where I have more of the same opportunities with them.  Oh, they just don't realize they're a little off on the detail, I'll just interject a bit of my "wisdom". 

     Oh, Kristen, don't you realize you don't offer anything but shame and embarrassment?

     I desire to honour these precious people that God has placed in my life, but it requires self-control with my words.  Who really cares if I'm right or not?  Honestly?  Only me.  I need to decrease so that Christ may increase in my life.

"Don't be selfish; don't try

to impress others.  Be humble,

thinking of others as better

than yourselves."

Philippians 2:3



Old-Fashioned Communication

     I was sixteen.

     I knew it was wrong.

     But I did it anyway…I bought Cole’s Notes for a Shakespearean play I was supposed to read.

     I learned an important lesson that semester in English 101 – you miss the depth and richness that’s available to enjoy when you buy the “short version”. There was a lot I could have learned from ol’ William had I read the original text, but I cheated myself. I missed the author’s best and compromised with second-rate.

     We live in a Cole’s Notes world.

     Everything is the short version… the fast version… the instant version – we are missing the depths of real life!

     Surrounded by social networking, texting, email, voice messages and more; everything gets to us abbreviated. Sometimes my precious friendships even feel robbed of their potential when I only make time for a one-line update. Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled with how many people I can stay connected with, but I don’t want it to be at the expense of those with whom I MUST stay connected.

     Short and sweet on a typed line with a friend, is an easy substitute for a real life discussion with my husband that is so needed.

     A quick text as a reminder may be more convenient, but it causes me to miss the sweet inflection of a voice I love to hear.

     A voice message is helpful in saving time, but I may never know that person needed prayer for something else today.

     How can we get off of Facebook and into a real book? How can we hear people’s stories in their entirety and not just the short versions? What do we need to do TODAY to be fully present where we are and embrace those we love?

     We live in a world of “get more done” and the communication conveniences we’re surrounded by are not about to disappear, but we can monitor them. We can choose to reach out for human contact even when there is an automated replacement available. And even more importantly, we can be sure to keep a magnifying glass focused in on the pulse of our most prized relationships.

“In your relationships with one another,

have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 2:5