Strengthen the Foundation

Audio By Carbonatix

I overheard a woman tell her friends about the horrible day she experienced with her kids. In an animated and equally frustrated voice, I heard her say, “They fought. They hit. They screamed. They kicked. They bit.” She paused briefly and then continued by saying, “One of my kids had an impression in her skin that was a perfect match to her brother’s teeth! And this all happened before 10 a.m.” 

She went on to tell her friends that her kids were just out of control and that because of their behavior that day that she was concerned somebody was going to get hurt or that she was going to hurt somebody. She finished her conversation by confessing, “I did not like my children that day.” I’m pretty sure she’s not the first parent to utter those words.

When your children are babies, they are so cute and cuddly! You hold them close in your arms, swing them gently back and forth, and sweetly whisper words of comfort in their ears. You love them so much and as you gaze upon their precious little face, you never imagine that anything sassy or disrespectful will come from their lips. I’m sure this mom never pictured her bundle of joy growing up and biting his sister one day. But it happens! 

Family life will expose every weakness about your personality. If you are part of a family, you are having things revealed about yourself that you need to work on almost constantly. I often tell couples who come to me and talk about getting married that if they don’t want to change, then they shouldn’t get married. When you invite another person to become a part of your life, and then you add children into the mix, you are going to discover things about yourself that will not always be pleasant to face. And when you reach the place in life of dealing with adult children and elderly parents, you will feel pulled in many different directions, and from all sides.

Wise people will respond by embracing the opportunity to make changes in their lives. They want to become deeper and stronger in order to positively influence their family. Everyone should strive to be a lifelong learner. To be better in everything they do and in all of their relationships whether their role is a spouse, a parent, a sibling, a child, a co-worker, or all of those things. Nobody should ever stop learning. 

Think about it in terms of owning a home. Even when there is a solid foundation, there are always improvements that can be made in order to extend the home’s life and to protect that foundation. 

The same is true for you. Your foundation may seem solid, but if you stop making updates or improvements, it could lead to extensive damage, including your foundation crumbling. If you don’t learn to adapt and grow as a person, you may fall apart when trying to handle a situation. 

Therefore, when circumstances in your family life expose an area of your personality or character that requires remodeling or a minor adjustment, be open and willing to make those tweaks so you can win more often at home.