Immature

So, last Thursday, I requested to go home a little early because  the previous two evenings I did not leave work until late and I hadn't seen the girls.  I got home before the girls.  We had a good dinner and everything was rocking along.  I decided to go ahead and do the yard so that I would not have to do it on Saturday.

I went outside and trimmed the hedges, edged the driveway and trimmed around the trees, fences and house.  It was time to mow.

I'm not a big fan of mowing but I have started to enjoy it lately because I use a pair of ear buds (head phones) and ear muffs (hearing protection) to listen to PG Comedy on Pandora.  My neighbors that drive by must think I'm a little "off" because I will often bust out laughing in the middle of mowing the grass.

So, like I was saying, it was time to mow.  I went inside the house to get the ear buds.  I could not find a pair.  I asked the family where a pair might be and it appeared to me that they didn't think finding me a pair of ear buds was important.  I became a little frustrated.  I know that this past year, we have purchased enough ear buds and head phones to outfit each kid in our neighborhood with a pair.

I expressed my frustration by asking again "Do you know where there are any ear buds?"  I must have asked a little different (well, maybe a little louder) because everyone starting looking.

Here comes the immaturity...

My ten year old red-head brought me a pair.  But, they didn't have the rubber ear pieces.  They wouldn't do me any good.  I was frustrated and tossed them towards the laundry room.  Okay, I was not frustrated, I was angry and I threw them across the kitchen towards the laundry room.  I then huffed outside and started mowing the yard.

I had mowed about a 1/4 of the yard and my ten year old comes outside holding the ear buds.  I stopped the mower and walked up to her.  She then explained to me that she picked up the ear buds from the kitchen floor and then went to our bedroom dresser and found some surplus rubber ear pieces and fixed the ear buds.

Wow!  My ten year old showed me how to act like an adult.  I was humbled and ashamed.  Well...needless to say, later that night, I went into each girls' room and to my wife and apologized and praised my ten year old.

Forgive me Lord for not showing patience and kindness.  Thank you Lord for instilling in the heart of a child the attributes you want me to have.