Rachel Anne at Home Sanctuary seems to be reading my mind! Today she's talking about respect--and how we need to have it for ourselves, in our marriages, and more.
She's got a great post up about how to do small things to make sure our week starts out right, so that we have some self-respect!
It's funny, because I used the title of that Aretha Franklin song for one of the chapters in To Love, Honor and Vacuum.
I figure that if you feel more like a maid than a wife and a mother, it's because people in your family are not treating you with respect. And that's not good for your relationships, for your marriage, or for your kids.
So what can we do to help them respect us? Well, in a nutshell, we have to respect ourselves. And we have to act that way to others.
Think about Galatians 6 for a moment. Galatians 6:2 says "carry each other's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ." Easy enough.
But three verses later Paul writes, "for each should carry his own load".
How does that make sense?
I think it's because a burden is something you aren't able to carry. It's too big for you on your own. A load is like a backpack that we're all supposed to have with us. Picture the marines with their equipment as they trudge through the desert. Everybody should be able to carry their own load.
But, if as a wife and a mother you're carrying your kids' loads, or your husband's load, that isn't appropriate. Don't do things for them they should do for themselves. Don't cover up for inappropriate behavior. Don't clean up your kids' stuff all the time. Don't only cook what they like!
Because the more you carry other people's loads, the less room you'll have to carry other people's burdens.
Just something to think about as we get our Monday off right!
(But aren't you exhausted with daylight savings? Ugh!)Labels: homemaking, housework, parenting |
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