Lately, when chaos broke loose at home- with my 6-year old spelling enthusiast breaking down at the thought of her spelling test the next day and my 4-year old exploding into florid meltdowns… all at the same time… I had an epiphany.
I could take the shortest way out by using fear, threats and punishment… or I could arrive at the same destination through empathy, connection and patience.💛
When my girls and I reconnected to talk about “the hard things we face,” I looked at the list:
1. Spelling (from my 6-yr old),
2. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (from my 4-yr old!)
3. Triathlon (myself)
… and saw a striking similarity- they were all hard, yet good goals.
But the achievements themselves meant nothing. Rather, it was the values, character, and attitudes we’d learn along the way that mattered so much more.💎
As a family, we decided together, that we could do hard things.💪🏾🔥 But our journey together was more important than the destination.
If it meant pushing through spelling tests through encouragement instead of punishment, validating a bawling child instead of isolating her, if it meant training hard for our goals while exemplifying the fruits of the Spirit… then reaching the destination would be worthwhile.🙌🏾💎
I hope this encourages you- that when your goals seem to lose meaning because of the hardships you face, focus on the gems you pick up on the journey, not the end. 💛💛💛