Encouraging Words

Saturday was rough.  Yelling, crying, fighting, messes… and then the children woke up ;o)

Proverbs 15:1  A gentle answer turns anger away.  But mean words stir up anger. (NIrV)

Trying to get 7 children to do their chores on Saturday AFTER watching 3 hours of cartoons – I could have been wiser.  But chores needed to be done and I am the mom (manager, boss, slave-driver depending on which child you ask!).

Rosebud and her little sister were to unload the dishwasher.  They fought as they were attempting to NOT unload it.  ”I do the top and you do the bottom OK?” “NO!  Get away from me!” “MOM!!! She’s not helping” “I no like you!” “You a bad girl!” …and then the shrieking began.

Ever feel like a fire fighter?

Small sparks were igniting and I needed to get these two angry girls away from each other before a raging forest fire erupted.  So Rosebud was sent to her room to clean, and Evie was left to unload the dishwasher all by her lonesome.  That just made them both mad, because it’s so NOT FAIR that they had to do EVERYTHING all by themselves. (We’ve all heard this one, right Moms?)

Dishes were done, room was still a mess.  Both girls were going to have to fight it out and clean their room. Their 10 x 10 room with 2 twin beds.  Boxing gloves, please…

About 20 minutes into the “cleaning” session I saw Rosebud running to the pantry.  I stopped to actually listen to their conversation (tuning out is my only sanity saver at times), and what I heard astounded me.

“I sweep under the bed and you clean the floor, OK Evie?  I get the broom, I under the bed and you clean the toys.  I GOT IT! I COMING!!!  I get the trash can for you OK Evie?” Rosebud was yelling in that sing-song-y voice she gets when she is really happy.

I literally did a double-take.

After 20 minutes, I saw this:

I called the girls over and told them how proud I was of their cheerful faces and how they were working together.  They reminded me that they had been learning about being cheerful at school all week.  Then, wonder of all wonders, Rosebud said “Cheerful face is joy in a heart, and good new is helf to bones problems 30:15″  I was amazed.  She quoted the Bible verse that they had learned in school!  Of course it wasn’t word perfect, but she knew what the verse meant.

Proverbs 15:30 A cheerful look brings joy to your heart. And good news gives health to your body. (NIrV)