A Title Worth Repeating:
Repeating fatigue is real… Can I get a break from the echo chamber?
"How many times do I have to say it?" “Don’t touch that… Brush your teeth… Be Kind… Don’t touch your brother… Eat your veggies… Put away your shoe.” “Don’t make me say it again!”
Spoiler alert! You are going to have to say it again.
If you had to fill out a job application for being a Mom, one of the qualifications would read: “Must have the ability to repeat and reword yourself multiple times a day.” Frustration comes from the fact that, as a mom, you will have to tell an actual human being, that when they are being spoken to, they have to actually hear the words being said. It is astounding how easily frustration turns into anger, then self-doubt into an overwhelming mental struggle. How can something so simple as, having to repeat our own words, create such emotion. Unintentional pain is brought on by the very people whom we give some much of our attention and time…and man, does it sting!
What is the solution?
KIDS WHO LISTEN!
Keep reading below for the step by step guide of how to get your kids to listen.
I couldn’t fool you, could I?
You know, there is no guide or formula to replace our ever needed repetition. As formative mothers, though, we find creative ways to grab their attention or help them to remember. Still, we find that the majority of the time we have to give directions over and over.
So is that it? Do we just accept the inevitable?
I would like to offer you an argument… I mean I am sure you haven’t had enough of those today. Especially if you have more than one child.
So here is my argument:
1. What if having to repeat yourself is not actually a reflection of your value?
2. What if having to repeat yourself does not mean that you are not worth listening to?
3. What if repeating yourself is also NOT a reflection of what your kids and spouse think
you are worth?
4. And to top it all off… What if repeating the valuable words you have are actually a sign of
how much you care for your loved ones?
Romans 12:2 NIV
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Good and truth filled arguments change our mind on issues. When we have an opinion or belief about a subject we must line it up to the Word of God. Otherwise said, we cannot trust our own judgement. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that our hearts are deceitful, more deceiving than anything else, and even “desperately wicked” as the King's James Version puts it. The Amplified Bible Version poses the question, “Who can understand it fully and know its secret motives?”
If we put our trust in how other’s actions make us feel, we will be deceived. Even led astray by the emotions of our hearts. We need a renewed mind.
How do I get one? You may be asking.
Well, I am glad you asked!
Go get your Bible and open to John 8:31-32
I am going to quote the AMP version here. Then, together let’s walk through an applicable way to apply this passage and watch how it changes our way of thinking.
Keep in mine that, at this time, Jesus is talking to people who had believed on His words and teachings.
John 8:31-32
“If you abide in My word
you are truly My disciples and you will know the truth
and the truth will set you free”
Application
Read the Word of God, believe everything you read in it and apply it to your life.
You will understand the truth about your situation, the truth about others intentions, and the truth about who you are in Christ.
Doubt and fears will fall away because you are free to be a Child of God not a slave to lies and sin.
A change in our point of view or transformed thoughts, can dictate our feelings towards a problem.
It is exhausting at times to have to say the same things over and over to the same people. Even Jesus questioned the disciples as to why they were not grasping what He was teaching them and what He had shown them through miracles.
In Matthew 16:1-12 The Pharisees and Sadducees had just tried to test Jesus, asking Him for a sign. Jesus, because He is God, cannot be tested. He disarms the conversation and leaves with His disciples.
Jesus then proceeds to warn the disciples to be careful and be on their guard against the “bread or yeast” of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The misunderstanding disciples began to think and talk amongst themselves saying, “Should we have brought some bread?” Jesus responds to their worry asking them, “Do you still not understand?” Jesus asks them if they really don’t remember the times they saw Jesus feed thousands with plenty of left overs! He asks, “How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread?” Over and over Jesus had to talk to, and show the disciples the type of faith they should have. And yet, He still kept showing and telling them.
Jesus was persistent and He calls us, as disciple makers, to be the same. What Jesus did NOT do, was take it personally. He knew that His ability to disciple others was rooted in God. His obedience to the will of God, and the power God gave Him to do this work is what defined His success, not the response or reactions of His disciples. Jesus knew His words held authority regardless of whether or not those hearing His words accepted or even remembered them.
Psalms 119:130 KJV
“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”
So guard yourself, and don’t trust your own feelings. When tempted with the thoughts that your kids or even spouse don’t value you or your words, speak against those lies!
Titus 3:1-2
“Put them in mind to be in subjection to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready unto every good work, to speak evil of no man, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing all meekness toward all men.”
Re-define your Mothering:
Do your words speak life and truth? John 1:14
Is what you are trying to instill in your child or children, lining up with the Word of God and His will? 1 Peter 2:15, 1Thessalonians 5:18, Matthew 6:10 (Remember John 7:17)
Is your service in Motherhood as unto the Lord, rather than your kids? Colossians 3:23-24, 1 Peter 4:11
Are you serving them through your own strength and discipline or through the power of the Holy Spirit and His righteousness? Philippians 4:13, Matthew 6:33, Romans 15:13
There is POWER in repetition and we are called to repeat and do things often that we might remember.
Psalms 78:1-7 KJV
“Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded
our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:”
Momma I urge you to… Say the thing again! Show them again! Be the example again!
Proverbs 22:6 KJV
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Let this verse be a reminder that we are NOT teaching our children to be “good kids.” We are TRAINING them to be Godly adults. Good and productive training thrives on repetition and consistency! We are not seeking temporary compliance, but rather lasting transformation.
