Soap Box

This is my blog and I'll rant if I want to!!

Since this is my blog, I'm going to get out something on my mind. I am passionate about a great many things especially injustices I see occurring in our world, community, even families and friendships.

A friend emailed me about a family she knows who lost their precious three-year-old son in a tragic accident. It breaks my heart this sweet family is suffering so much. And the parents are probably asking all the "what-ifs" of themselves and each other. I can only imagine the horrendous grief they are bearing.

As I researched this story online, I found the news report. There were many comments from family and friends, even strangers, offering their prayers for them. But among those were the typical judgments of those "perfect people". They probably aren't even parents.

I remember being that way when I was first married. Michael and I would go out to a restaurant and inevitably there would be a screaming child somewhere. On one such occasion, I remarked to my husband that [say it with me] "our child would not do that." Oh, to be young and know it all again!

Well, just a couple years later I had a screaming toddler who I could not control and my absurd judgment quickly returned to me. How foolish was I! A couple more years later there was another screaming toddler in tow. This one knew it all at the age of 2, and you could not convince said dear child otherwise. Not much has changed today, eight years later. However, I am glad that persistence is part of this one's character even if it is a bit annoying and infuriating at times.

We all have those moments when we think, I would never do that. And then we eat our words when we threaten to pulverize our children if they don't stop fighting. As difficult as those humbling moments are, I will take them. They remind me I'm human and therefore prone to screw up. They also reveal character traits I don't like but can change. Most importantly, I apologize to my children and they forgive me.

We must be slow to judge and quick to show compassion but our society is backwards. Every day I experience, and pass, judgment in a variety of circumstances, but hardly ever receive, or give, compassion. Lord, forgive me for being so haughty and reserving my love for those I deem worthy.

For those of you who think you know it all and would do it all exactly right, be careful what you say or share anonymously online. Your words will come back to bite you in the derriere.