To tantrum like a child

Hannah has taken to a new demonstration of her tantrums. When she's upset, she drops whatever is in her hands and lowers her head. She barely lifts her eyes enough to make eye contact with you, and then she stands there for a minute before falling to a sitting position. From there, she flops back into a laying position, lays very still, and stares at you for a few minutes.

It's really quite funny.

I was thinking, what if I threw tantrums like her? I'd really get very little accomplished, and boy would I have bruises! On the upside, it really takes the anger out of the situation. I'm sure this is not her intent, but we laugh when she does this. It's so dramatic. I've said for a while she'll either be a singer, a dancer, or a vet. I guess now I need to add "actress extraordinaire" to that list of possibilities.

Work is going well. It was so nice this weekend, huh? Beautiful, sunny skies, warm weather, and not above 75 degrees. Perfect! We had "chicken day" on Saturday. My family has this habit of naming their gatherings. Don't ask me why - they just do. It makes them happy, so I guess that's all that matters. :) I played softball for the first time in years. Boy did my abs hurt Sunday and Monday!

Yesterday we had my mom's parents and my dad's mom over for a picnic. It was great. Miss bought a new grill, so we got to use it. It grilled the steaks to perfection. I'm excited to keep using it. Of course, it's nearing the end of summer, so I don't know how many more times we'll use it, but then we can just make up for lost time next summer, right?

I had a convicting moment today. I was reading an article about serving others as Christian counselors, and the Spirit hit me with the revelation that I was harboring ill feelings toward a coworker with whom I've had some disagreements. I thought this person was a Christian, but other things that have been said or done have caused me to question this. I thought to myself, How shameful that I am harboring this bitterness toward this person, especially if he's my brother in Christ. And if He's not my brother, that's also pretty pathetic, since I should be striving to love Him as Christ does. In short, it doesn't matter if the person is saved or not. I am without excuse in my feelings, and I'm glad God revealed it to me. I think, too often, we feel justified in being stand-offish toward someone we feel has wronged us. But isn't that the perfect time to emulate to Christ's love and generosity of grace, especially when I'm surrounded by unbelieving coworkers? (That's a rhetorical question - the answer is a resounding YES!!!) I had to pray as God humbled with me the verse, "Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness." (1 John 2:9). It was a convicting moment but I was grateful I the Spirit brought it to light. I find those are my moments of revelation - when I'm least expecting it. Often I'm not even meditating on it or in prayer, but God reveals an encouraging truth or an issue in need of transformation through Christ, and I am grateful for those moments. But man, it sure makes me feel lousy and makes me impatient to be more like Christ.