Fingerprints

Who hasn't taken the opportunity to write in some frosty glass? Or make a hand print? It's like a right of passage in the cooler months of the year. And when the frost goes away, the print does too. Or so we think. The next time the glass fogs up, the print will reappear- it's like magic to a kid.

When my brother was young, he showed a talent in anything mechanical. By the age of 13, a local small engine shop hired him to fix lawn mowers and along with that talent came greasy hands. We always knew where Brad had been by the fingerprints he left behind. And although this was a minor nuisance to the one who had to clean up the greasy prints... the prints followed him to a career in mechanical engineering.

Now that I have boys, I often clean up sticky hand prints from food, dirt and crafts. But, that's what we do... We use our sense of touch on millions of items each day. And everywhere we go, we leave our fingerprints- visible or not. Webster's Dictionary defines fingerprint as something that identifies: as a trait, trace or characteristic of revealing origin. Fingerprints reveal who you are.

Every time you touch your children, you are leaving characteristics of you all over them. What type of fingerprints will you leave behind? Every time you interact with the people at work, traces of you fill the room. What will you write on their frosty windows? And whenever you interact with the world, your traits stick to everything you touch. What type of imprint will you leave on the world?

Ephesians 4 urges us to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. We will one day be held accountable for the millions of fingerprints we are responsible for. I challenge you to ponder the prints that identify you each day.

The Nose Speaks...

Yesterday... The boys were playing at the playground and a mom approached me. She said, "Is that your little boy over there?" I immediately got nervous. "Yes." I said.

Then she said... "Well, he had an accident. Pee is going everywhere." Now, I get that this was a 'had to be there' kind of moment. But, the way she said it was as if she had NEVER had a child wet their pants and was pronouncing judgment on me. She wanted him off the playground ASAP.

I approached the boy with the pee on his pants and he was terribly embarrassed. He had wet his pants on the mulch, not on the playground equipment but she was staring me down waiting for my exit. Then, to make matters worse, her friend showed up for a play-date and she begin to point and make faces as she described her disapproval.

I think this was a bad case of 'snooty.' Did I need to know that my child had an accident? Of course. But, would he probably have run by me a minute later and brought it to my attention without the public embarrassment of the Accident Police? Absolutely.

So, come on moms... we have to stick together. I have noticed the judgement between mothers since I became a mom five years ago. Moms ask other moms questions just to gloat and brag about their own child? Like, "Is your baby sleeping through the night? Oh, he's not???? Little Johnny has been sleeping all night since he was one day old."

My dad and his immense wisdom gave me a great answer to all of those judgemental moms. He said, "When they say something that is mean and judgmental, say, 'Well, my baby does 20 baby push-ups every morning.'"

Makes me smile. I think of it whenever I am standing in front of a judgemental mom.

And the truth of the matter is... we just don't need that from each other. Motherhood is a challenge. And no matter how you choose to go about it, the judgement of others always seems to be there. But, who made any of us the standard that all other mothers should live up to?

Jack Welch, an American businessman and author said at a recent leadership conference, "Don't be more proper than you really are; don't be snooty. People hate snooty." So, if our nose is higher in the air than it should be, which basically means we think we're better than someone else, we should take a minute to remember that it is not well received. Instead, be a person of authenticity who exudes the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Qualities that are always well received.