Continual Growth

I am realizing as I get older how much more I notice things.

I notice the way the sun rises in the morning on my drive to work. I notice how moms interact with the children they delight so much in. I notice the way people react to situations which are exciting as well as those which pain or anger them.

It can be so easy to judge someone based on their actions. I know that I, for one, am someone who is quick to judge when someone hurts me or when someone acts a way I would never in my life act. With that though I realize that when I judge them I need to take a hard look at the mirror because in those moments, I myself am acting the way I am judging them for. What do I feel when the realization hits and I look in the mirror, shame, and sadness. Luckily, that feeling doesn't last long as God grabs a hold of my heart and speaks grace and understanding to me.

We will always fall short. No one is perfect and that includes me, a constant reminder I need to hear every day.

Last week I accepted a job at a Private Project Based Learning school here in the area to start in July. I will be ending my 2 1/2 year run with my nanny family and take on a new role as Inclusion Teacher for the entire school. Most of my job will be made of up listening to teachers, parents, students, and my own intuition to help create goals and plans for children who need just a little extra help. Along with all the listening there will be an open mind required to understand all angles and not just my own. If I were to be the only person observing a child to create a plan I would miss out on about 98% of what the child does regularly throughout the day. It is imperative that I take into account what the parents and teachers tell me to come to the best conclusion of what we need to do to ensure growth in the child.

This same principal can be applied to my own every day life. If I look at someone and how they treated me in one situation on specific day, then I do them and myself a disservice. What about the events that led up to the situation? What about the news they received earlier in the day? I would hope that in an instance when I act out of turn that someone would show me the grace I would need to make it through the situation. It is imperative that I show the same amount of grace.

Every one is growing, constantly. If not we would all just be babies needing someone to do everything for us. That's not the case. We are out there learning how to handle situations, and for me, how to make sure at the end of the day God gets the most glory. I have to allow people to grow as I am growing as well, which means understanding that the one time they have offended me is only 1% of their story. A measly blip on the time line of life.

My goal is to make sure that I am seeing them for more then that 1%, I want to be a person who encourages and is life giving, and not life draining.

I think we all need a little bit of that.

Jenny