As I wrote yesterday, I finally got the House Rules posted in our play room to help implement a consistent approach to rules and discipline. I also wrote it was less than successful on its first day out. I’m not sure what I expected. They are two.
But what I didn’t write about was what hit me as I wrote out the rules on the poster Saturday night:
What if I followed the rules that I gave my two year olds? What if we all did?
I promised them a reward at the end of the day if they followed all four rules. But I have to tell you, I can’t remember the last time I finished a day when I followed all four. I violate be kind all the time. I’m rude to my husband because he happens to be the closest to my mood. I speed up in front of people in traffic. I’m critical. I’m short-tempered with my kids. If I did nothing OTHER than number 1 all week long, the people around me would be delighted. And the fact that I trust God and follow Christ might be more evident. As for listen – good grief! I’m better at that than some, but one person I’m constantly not listening to is the one person I should listen to all the time: GOD! I have an idea of how I want things to go on any given day and sometimes I get a little worried He might have other plans. So I just ignore what He has in store. I fail to listen. I’m much worse off because of it too. I don’t even have the energy to confess how I fail on numbers 3 and 4. Needless to say, I’m not a very obedient toddler when it comes to applying the House Rules.
There are two simple verses I wrote out on the poster for the kids because it’s never too soon for them to learn that these rules have a Biblical basis. It’s never to early to hear God’s instructions for our lives. I share them with you, in case you can’t see them, and remind myself that I’ve got a lot of obeying to do before I’m a great role model of what the House Rules look like for my kids:
Ephesians 4:32, “Be ye kind, one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.”
Luke 6:31, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
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