Own Your Own Experience

My boys are at the age where we are trying to give them lots of experiences so they can discover themselves and their passions. For instance, in sports, we had them try football in the fall, basketball in the winter, and lacrosse in the spring. My oldest son tried football for the first time last fall and fell passionately in love with the sport. Since then, he’s out practicing in the yard almost every day. He’s watched every YouTube video possible on plays. He even read Tim Tebow’s and Rob Gronkowski’s books and devours anything football related. However, this hasn’t been the case with all sports. He was mildly interested in soccer, and we dragged him to baseball. My other two are still determining which sports they like, or if they even want to play a sport at all. When it’s not something they love, my husband and I get a lot of, “Do we have to go?” or “Why did you sign me up for this?” I tend to grit my teeth and growl out, “Because you told me you wanted to play when it was registration time.”Cue the whining, “But mom ...”This summer my husband came up with a new motto: Own your own experience. I’ve been using it when I hear their complaints. When the “but mom’s” start, I just say, “You determine whether you have a fun experience or not. If it’s not enjoyable, then there is no one to blame but yourself. Figure out how to make it fun.” Whether they do or not is still to be determined, but it does cut down on the complaints.Owning your own experience doesn’t just apply to kids. I, also, need to remember that the outcome I experience is determined by me. When I get a critique back on my writing, I choose whether I’ll be discouraged or whether I’ll look at it as an amazing chance to learn. When facing a big event at work that will consume a lot of my free time, I have to choose to look at what my company gains from it, what I take away from it, and what opportunities it gives the customer. If I list out the benefits, then I can focus on the good. Soon I’ll find myself having fun, feeling accomplished, and getting excited, instead of run down, worn out, and miserable.Paul tells the church in Thessalonica, “Be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances,” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). The church was undergoing opposition and persecution. Paul wrote to them after he’d learned they were slipping back into their old sinful lifestyles. But how could they have been joyful while undergoing persecution? How could they have been thankful while sin wrapped its suffocating tentacles around them? Yet, Paul told them to be joyful, keep praying and give thanks, because their joy wasn’t based on their circumstances. It was based on God’s love. Even when the world is crashing down around us, we can still focus on the love that surpasses all – the love of Jesus. We can give thanks and be joyful about all that He’s done for us.If you're interested in receiving these blogs and other updates by email sign up for my newsletter: https://lorridudley.com/mc4wp-form-preview/