Let’s Be Unnatural

by Rachel Faulkner Brown

 

Y’all I gotta be honest.

I’m a lecturer.

I don’t even know what that really means, but I know this…I am usually laughing way less than I want to when it comes to my kids. But, I want to laugh more. I really do.

So this is a place where I am committing to learn, I’m committing to retrain myself, and I’m committing to be unnatural. It will not be easy, because I am great (in my head) at my lectures. Lectures are natural to me, almost inborn I would argue. And you know what? Jesus has called me as a mom to be unnatural and different.

So here goes something better!

Let’s do this!

I want my home to be a place where my kids experience JESUS through me. Jesus didn’t lecture. He was a gentle man with his instruction and so is the Holy Spirit. If you hear Jesus yelling, you got the wrong the Jesus. Sure He got angry, but that was not his norm. We don’t know what tomorrow holds. Let’s all hold up three fingers and say together, “On my honor, I’m going to laugh more this school year.” Because the truth is, so many of those things that I ‘lecture’ about do NOT MEAN A THING in the scheme of eternity.

 

I have learned through years of sitting in counseling chairs that you have got to look back to go forward. So, I’m asking myself, ‘What about my past makes me want to lecture?’ Well, my parents are teachers. They were schooled and trained to lecture. They had two girls and of course we laughed a ton. I had a delightful childhood, but I know how to lecture because I heard a few. I needed some of them and my kids do too. BUT, I want the joy of my home and memories of my words not to be the lectures. I want them to remember the joy and the grace that I instructed with. I want Jesus to strengthen my mind to be more aware of my ‘tactics’. HE CAN, I can’t without His help and since HE LIVES IN ME..I CAN.

 

So, where am I starting my training? It’s simple really. I am picking a verse.

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” Psalm 119:103.

I have a precious friend who has some pretty amazing ‘buzz’ phrases. I love her and I love her phrases. I love them so much that my kids are picking up on them and asking me why I say the same things. Well kids, Jesus wrote them on our hearts and they are beautiful so we will say them.

One of her phrases when she hears her kids using less than stellar language is, “Can you use some honey words?” Now, the first time I heard her say that it was new for me and I loved it to my core. I believe words bring life. They just do. Honey words, even more life.

 

She also says, “Can you do that with a happy heart?”

I love that. It’s not a lecture. I don’t have to demonstrate that or use words like ‘YOU NEED’ and ‘CHANGE’ and ‘RIGHT NOW.’ Instead she poses a simple question right after her instruction. It’s awesome. I’m trying it and my kids are noticing.

Let’s be unnatural this year. Let’s lecture less and bring joy and restoration in our homes. Let’s drip with honey from our lips….sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.