WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK

EDITION TWO 

I’ve learned some very difficult lessons in the past week. I learned that it doesn’t really matter how good of a person you are, or how honest you are, there is always going to be someone to try to pull you down.

Sounds pessimistic, doesn’t it?

But I’ve learned more…

In the book of Proverbs, chapter 25, verse 18, it states that when a person tells lies about others, it is as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword or shooting them with a sharp arrow.

It is an awful feeling when someone who has already stolen something from you, goes on to be vindictive enough to spread awful rumors about you.

How do you handle it?

At first there is anger, then an unbelievable amount of hurt, tears, and feelings of defeat. It is as if everything you’ve worked so hard to accomplish… is going to crumble. All because of a person’s lies. 

Is it really enough to know who you are and be okay with it? 

I’ve learned in the past, that the truth always comes out. What goes around does indeed come back around. It doesn’t happen right away, and sometimes it’ll seem like it won’t happen… 

But it always does.

 One thing I learned this past week, or perhaps REMINDED again this past week, is God never abandons His children.

I asked God how do I handle this situation? How do I put a smile on my face and proceed, when what I want to do, is throw my hands up and cry. I was gently reminded that is exactly what this person is hoping for. Since when have I been a quitter?

God lead me to this verse in the Bible to give me my answer:

“Finally, all of you should agree and have concern and love for each other. You should also be kind and humble. Don’t be hateful and insult people just because they are hateful and insult you. Instead treat everyone with kindness…” ~ 1 Peter 3:8-9

I also was gently reminded of my own unrepentant sins. I’ve gossipped with co-workers about a boss and made fun of him behind his back. I laughed and listened with open ears to the dirt that they spilled on him. While I never took it upon myself to ruin his reputation by lies, I am guilty of gossip.

I learned that negative gossip about a person, is never innocent and is not pleasing to the Lord. If you are around someone that gossips about others, chances are they are gossiping about you when you leave the room.

I learned a lot about forgiveness this week. Forgiving someone who hasn’t asked (or earned) your forgiveness is a lot harder than I could have imagined. Yet, when I did forgive, it was an amazing lift off my shoulders and that confidence I thought I lost?

Returned.

Along with a smile.

Share what you’ve learned this week at Musings of a Housewife.

  I can’t remember exactly how I stumbled upon MUSINGS FROM A HOUSEWIFE, I can only tell you I’m glad I did. Jo-Lynn, a suburban Mom of three, blogs about her life in Philadelphia with humor and charm. Jo-Lynn began her blog in the Spring of 2006 and it has quickly become one of the most popular blogs on the Internet. This year she will be a speaker at the PROVERBS 31 SHE SPEAKS CONFERENCE. 

Jo-Lynn is a talented woman who blogs a wide range of topics…anything from the latest clothing fashion to parenting. While she calls herself a housewife, once you start reading her blog, you’ll soon realize Jo-Lynn is not an ordinary housewife. She juggles three kids, three blogs, a blog design business and if time permits…the laundry.

Jo-Lynn is responsible for the ever changing headers on ChaseNKids.com. Take the time to visit her site,  Musings of a Housewife and enjoy this Q&A I had with Jo-Lynn.

What made you decide to blog?

It was totally on a whim!  I had known about blogging for some time and frankly didn’t see the draw.  But once I started, I was hooked, and I’ve never looked back.

In the last few years, Mom Bloggers have come under scrutiny when they post pictures of their children. How do you handle this criticism and what steps do you take to keep some of your family’s privacy intact?

It’s everyone’s individual choice.  Some bloggers put all of their information and their photos out there.  Some use pseudonyms and keep vague about their whereabouts but feel free using photos.  Some don’t post photos at all.  I have waxed and waned on my opinion about this issue.  I try to be careful about my whereabouts, but as my full name gets out there more and more, it’s pretty easy to find me.  I do post pictures.  I tried to stop for a while, and I felt like I lost part of the fun of blogging.  I figure, the wacko at the grocery store can follow me home just as easy as a wacko online can find my blog. We try to be cautious, but I refuse to live in fear.  With more and more people online and posting photos, it seems almost impossible to completely hide my family from public view.

What has been your biggest lesson when it comes to blogging?

Just to be myself.  It’s so easy to compare yourself and your writing to others.  But I find that when I am totally being myself, that is when my readers are the most interested in what I have to say.

What does your family think of your site?

They are supportive, but they do appreciate that I am careful about what I share. I will never throw my family under the bus for the sake of a good story.  Sometimes it’s hard to find that line, but I rely on my instincts, and so far I haven’t gotten myself into TOO much trouble!

While you say you are just a housewife…you are anything BUT. You are a successful businesswoman who runs a webdesign business, own a Review site and your blog brings in advertising revenue. Was this what you imagined when you started your blog?

Hahahahaaaaa…  No.  Not at all.  I love it though.  I hope it only continues to grow!

Do you think blogging is here to stay or just a fad?

I think it will evolve like everything else, but I do think it’s here to stay.

What blog or blogs has made a significant impression on you? (Inspiring, encouraging, etc)

Melanie at Big Mama and June at Bye Bye Pie inspire me to find humor in everyday life and to share it in a way that people find entertaining and relatable.  Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer and Michelle at Scribbit have both been an invaluable source of encouragement and advice. I call and/or email them when I need advice.

Have you ever deleted a post? If so, why?

Oh yes.  I’ve had “writer’s remorse” a couple of times.

What advice do give new bloggers?

Be yourself.  Be an active and positive part of the community.  Don’t whine.  Don’t get involved in drama.  Find your rhythm and then be consistent.

What do you want readers to know about you that they may not know from reading your blog?

While I feel like I let it all hang out most of the time, I have been told that I sound like I have it all together.  I would like my readers to know that is not how I feel.  I struggle with severe PMS, with not wanting to be a stay at home mom every day, with feelings of inadequacy and insecurity.  I try to be as real as possible on my blog without whining and complaining and without sharing more than my family is comfortable with.

I’m still wondering if I will ever get enough brain juice to write on this site on a regular basis. I’m the world’s worst blogger.

I wear the title proudly and with charm.

I’m under a huge amount of frustration right now. It is the type of frustration in which you can’t always find the exact words to express your feelings. So you do what any mature adult would do and throw yourself down on the ground and scream to the high heavens that LIFE. IS. NOT. FAIR.

Don’t judge. Like you haven’t done it.

Last night, Eric was crying in the way you would if you had lost a limb in a freak car accident and screaming how much he hated his life. It was pure trauma on our ears and you would think the most terrible thing in the world had happened to him. There was no death in the family. Sponge Bob had not been cancelled. There was no trauma to his body.

 The reason he was so upset was because we told him he had to rewrite his homework in cursive and (GASP) he had to do it neatly.

NEATLY? IN CURSIVE? Oh the pure pain of it all. He literally fell unto his knees and cried. HE CRIED. And then we had to hear how it would take forever and we didn’t love him and his life was terrible.

I can just imagine years from now when his therapist asks him all the reasons in which his life sucked and he’ll say it was that one time his parents made him rewrite his homework…not only neatly, but in cursive.

And it took FOREVER.

Because Ian and I are such great parents; for fifteen minutes after his tirade we would ask him how long it was going to take him to rewrite it and then we would shout in unison, “IT WILL TAKE FOREVER!”

Then we would practically bust a gut by laughing hysterically.

This whole parent thing? It’s a trip.