“Tact” on Thoughtful Thursday and Fasting from Criticisms

On this, the second Thursday of Lent, I have many scattered thoughts and things going on that make life busy.  Add in being sick …a trip to the doctor and an antibiotic…and well, it’s a tiring thoughtful Thursday :)

Still, I just told my son Michael that God plans for me to be sick every now and then just so I will “slow down” and relax by force!  This seems to be true and I am very much on the go very regularly.

So, today we miss our home school co-op, which I feel badly about as both the boys really enjoy their time there – Michael with the older kids learning “real” volleyball under the direction of a former volley ball coach who donates her time with them; and Mark in his winter organized fun class, where JINGO, a phonics bingo game, seems to be the most fun ever!

Today, I chill.  I get over not feeling so well, and keep a close eye on Mark to see if he is improving at this point, or worsening.  This illness brought a prolonged fever situation  - a fever that seems to last for days with a croupy kind of cough.  So, we will do some “gentle” school today, and as my energy allows, I’ll clean house, laundry, do dinner and in general, be the happily domestic person at home that I am.

While I’m being that person, and we are underway in Lent, I have given much thought to “boundaries” that people cross, “hurt feelings” that people inflict on others, and “criticisms”, or even “sharp opinions” that people seem to not be able to bite their tongues over.  This Lent, I feel very compelled to fast from exactly those things:  criticisms, overstepping boundaries, sharp opinions  -- in a word: blurting out.  

Lovely stained glass window image, courtesy of Stained Glass Inc.

While my son Mark and I have been working in his social skills curriculum, “tact” and “blurting” have been part of his lessons.  Oh, how we can ALL use better instruction in those areas.  I was so pleased and yet so disappointed when we did these lessons.  Pleased because it is so appropriate to address these areas – our society is anything but respectful this way….and disappointed to realize how disrespectful society in general has become.  I have few friends who are truly Christian women who use respect in regard to boundaries, tactfulness and criticisms.

It’s interesting in this lesson plan that “tact” is described as: “saying what you want to say, but in a way that will not hurt another’s feelings” and several examples are given.  They work.  But we must “think” first before talking.

We have lost the art of that. 

So also on this Thoughtful Thursday, I pray in earnest for the light of tact, and fasting from those things such as: not thinking when speaking, blurting out, criticizing and sharp opinions, crossing boundaries, hurting other’s feelings, and generally breaking down, not building up.

May the peace of God be with you+