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Glass House Resident

By Stephanie Shott, mother of two

Have you ever felt like other mothers were looking at you and wondering why you don’t have it all together? Do you look at the moms around you and wish that your children were just as perfect as theirs – that your life was just as easy as theirs?

I was a homeschool mom for 11 years, so my boys went with me everywhere. Sometimes they behaved like little angels. Other times I wanted to pretend like they weren’t mine. I remember the raised eyebrows and the cutting glances that always made me feel "less than" the mom I should be. My glass house had its fair share of stones thrown at it, and every time it made me feel a little more "less than" the time before.

"I learned to give grace
as graciously as I needed it."

But there were also times when I was guilty of throwing a few stones of my own. Why aren’t her children dressed right? Why does she let them get away with that? How many times is she going to let her little one interrupt her?
Each stone I threw seemed much more like a boomerang when my children began testing the waters of their own independence. Eating my words didn’t come easy, but it was during that time that I learned to give grace as graciously as I needed it.

Dear God, thank you for the gift of your grace. Help me to shower others with it, just as you have showered me. Amen.