Where Have I Gone Wrong ???

Ok I "Was" going to post about Love today, but I really need to post about this subject and try to figure out "where I have gone wrong"

My post today is about being "Self Centered"

Lets go back a few hours. I was going to my daughters school, to pick her up. I pulled up and she was smiling and couldn't wait to tell me about her Valentine party today. We drove home and couldn't wait to go in the house and show my wife. I stayed outside to put window wash in the van and load up the van with boxes for a friend that is moving. I get done with that stuff and my wife comes out with a look on her face that she was just confused, sad, and speechless. I asked "whats wrong" she said "Our daughter is in her room because of her mouth and attitude".

Nothing New!!!

But when she explained "WHY" she was in her room , I was really speechless. The reason I was speechless was because of the "Self Centered" actions of her.

You see this last Sunday at church the "Kids Stuff" program was all about Serving Others and when you serve others you are serving JC. Like I said in recent posts I really learn things in this program also. The kids were told to try and do something for someone else this week for really no reason but to serve and help. The parent were also asked to try and do the same thing.

Ok, so I have tried to do this for all my family this week and I feel I have done a good job. My son was the last one I needed to do something for and I found out yesterday he had a flat tire, so what a great way to do something nice for him. So before I picked up my daughter today I snuck his tire out of the trunk to get it plugged. Come to find out he must of "hit" something "ask him he would have no idea" but now Im buying him a new tire. Serves me right for doing something nice "get it "SERVES" me. Ha Ha . He doesn't have any idea yet and most likley wont even realize the tire is missing. Ok back to subject at hand.

Come to find out a letter came for her today from a leader at Elm Brook church. In the letter it explained to her "what a great mother she has and what a great servant her mother is and she should be so proud of her mother". Well she wanted NOTHING to do with that letter. Why you ask? Because it wasn't about HER! She was mad and wanted her to stop reading because "she didn't care". There was also a chip for a ice cream at Culver's for her. She didn't know that cause she didn't take the time to get that far. My wife had to get going to Teen Mops to lead so I had to deal with this one.

So.

I let her sit up there and cry and yell for awhile. She finally came down and I asked her what the problem was. She responded that "she has NO problem". I continued to ask her "why" she wouldn't listen to mom read the letter to her. She responded that"the letter wasnt about her and had nothing to do about her". I asked her "what did you learn in Kids Stuff this week"? She said "I dont know".
I continued to tell her that I was very disappointed in her "not mad" but disappointed. I suggested that she sit down and listen to the letter and than go up stairs and write in her own words what it was about. After a bit more "discussion" she agreed. I read the letter she went up stairs and came down a bit later with this,

This letr is all abute of srving.

I am sory mom.

Love Gabby

Cod you frre give me.

Ok how cute is that and at least she was listening at church, even though her brain doesn't recognize when to use the lessons yet.

So I feel that Im doing something wrong for her to act so self centred a lot of the time. She sees all the time my wife serves at teen mops and I try to help when needed and do other things. But I feel the most important part a serving is when no one else knows and you dont get any recognition for it. But in todays time most people dont serve "Unless they get recognized about it" its about them and what they do and not for who they do it for.

But, I feel in this case with trying to teach my daughter about serving we "need to let her know when we are serving and why". Is that the right thing or not? I just feel she really needs to start putting others first instead of herself for a change.

"We have met the enemy, and he is us." The whole struggle of life is to grow past being a self-centered self-serving isolated individual. We are born thinking we are the center of life, and hopefully we grow past that perception. Those that stay self-centered are the evil in our world. The part of me that is self-centered is evil, too. The phrase "put Jesus on the throne of your life" refers to putting an end to doing what you want to do (because you are on the throne of your life) and doing what Jesus wants you to do, because you now serve Him.

Thats what we all need to teach our children and our family. I know I still need to work on this also.