It was a simple request.
As I turned and headed down the hallway to help his little sister with her shoes, I heard it.
Boy, it must be rough to be 8 years old these days!
We took a vote and decided he could stay in the family even after making that crack at us!
He is totally RIGHT!
Sorry Mom, Dad and Heather.
If I’m throwing myself under the bus you are all coming with me!
But, really, that is pretty ridiculous don’t you think?
The first place I went to was my B.I.B.L.E. (yes that’s the book for me!).
I looked up “Sighing” in the Concordance and you know what? There was only ONE verse that used that word and it had to do with sighing out of sorrow.
For some reason, I had a feeling that wasn’t exactly the kind of “sighing” I’ve been doing lately.
Well, that got me to thinking. What was I feeling when I let that little puff of air escape me?
What did it represent and what did I think I was getting away with by inhaling and exhaling in a very loud manner?
And that is when the soul searching began.
It didn’t last long, though, because it was quickly revealed to me what this whole sighing business was really all about.
It was my way of
Grumbling
Complaining
Expressing Frustration without using actual words
And, let me just tell you friends, there are A LOT of verses in the “Good Book” about those emotions!
They aren’t pretty and they sure do hit home.
“These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.” Jude 22:7
Ouch! Now I know why I don’t spend a lot of time in the book of Jude!
“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.” Philippians 2:14
I’m fairly certain my sighing doesn’t make me “shine like a star”.
And, I’m also fairly certain that while I may have fooled myself into thinking that it is better than actually verbally expressing my frustrations, I’m not really fooling anyone else!
I think they call it being…gulp…PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE.
Because, let’s be honest. What do I really have to sigh about?
I lead an incredibly blessed life.
I have a wonderful husband who loves me, 2 amazing children and a home that not only provides shelter but is a place where I get to express my creativity. We have food, shelter, clothing and transportation times 2.
I have had my share of sorrows, that is true.
But my little day-to-day life’s issues do not warrant that kind of response.
Not when there are other things I should be sighing about.
I should sigh over the broken and hurting around the world….around my city…in my neighborhood.
I should sigh because there are children who went to bed hungry last night and will probably again tonight.
I should sigh that my children are growing up in a world that promotes living for “numero uno” more than having a servant’s heart.
These are the things that should cause me to inhale and then deeply exhale.
Maybe there was a reason that the only verse in the Bible that mentions sighing has to do with there being a day when “sorrow and sighing will flee away.” Isaiah 35:10
Until that day, my desire should be to sigh for the lost…the hurt…the hungry.
And maybe, just maybe, if my children heard their mother sighing over those things, they will begin to sigh for them too.
Now, THAT is a legacy worth leaving! Don’t you think?
Thanks for joining me for this Simply Sunday at the Fence,
Imparting Grace: Grace at Home
Oh Vanessa, that is so well written. I can’t adda thing – just give you my deepest respects for the courage it takes to share these things.
You are amazing, and your family is beautiful.
I, too, am a very loud sigher. I am going to work on it, you have inspired me to grumble less – even unspoken grumblings.
Hugs those sweet kids of yours for me.
God bless!!!!
Yes, so well written. And sighing isn’t always audible. I can grumble and complain even while doing a task. Sad but forgiven is this heart of mine.
I am so guilty of this. Thank you for posting this, the Bible verses are of great value to me.
Thanks for sharing this. You wrote so beautifully on this topic. I think for me, I really work hard to foster an attitude of gratitude, because it really does take my focus off of myself and onto all the good things God has done for me 😉 🙂 Love and hugs from the ocean shores of CAlifornia, Heather 🙂 🙂 🙂
Right on!! Thanks for sharing this reminder!
Vanessa,
You certainly did come by “sighing” quite honestly in our family. I already sighed several times today over such mundane things. Thanks for the reminder of what is worth sighing over. Beautifully written! Love, Mom
PS Love the picture too. Haven’t seen that one!
Ouch is right, a sigh can express a lot and for many reasons, but complaining would certainly be one…
ouch, Thats one of my biggies too. or another not so favorite “fine!” I often think that God sent us our kids so we could really see our own faults.
Thanks for the gentle reminder
Angela
angdersquire(at)shaw(dot)da
Love this post…you are so incredibly right…Perspective..perspective…Our blessings always outweigh all the other “stuff”….Now when I “sigh”…nowadays, it is over beautiful images…of a gorgeous flower, a baby smiling, my granddaughter showing me her first lost baby tooth…sigh…my hubby giving me flowers…sigh, sigh….
I have learned to “manage my negative sighs” through my incredibly inspirational friend…When I catch myself with a “negative sigh”…I think of her, and then it all makes sense….life is good…with the good sighs…..
Such a great and powerful post. You are so right! Thanks for this.
Amen and Amen, Vanessa! We have a lot more than sighing going on in our family. We have too much outright, arguing, complaining and griping. One teenager got grounded from all fun stuff this week just 20 minutes ago for that very thing. I know I need to start sighing about things worth sighing about too and find more to verbally praise about.
From one sigher to another, Thank you for this post! My husband just made a comment the other day about me sighing, I need to make an intentional effort to change.
Funny how God works… Just last night this post came to mind (from when I read it the first time and was convicted!). And now this morning I see it re-posted here. I’m sorry to say, but obviously this is a message God’s REALLY trying to get across to me right now. Thanks for letting Him use you.
Oh, boy! You sure just gave me something to think about! I am also part of the
“sighing club”. 🙂 Wonderful post!
You just had to go there, didn’t you. *Sigh*. For the first several (at least) years of our marriage, I was apparently a grumbler by sighing. And I also just sighed for no reason at times. My poor husband didn’t know what to do with all my sighing — Was I upset? Did he say something wrong? Did he forget to do something? Was I just tired? (I wasn’t the best of communicators, if you can’t tell).
I’ve been really working on cutting out the grumbling by sighing and leave my sighing for expressions of “whew, glad that’s done,” or “wow, so glad we accomplished that,” or, better yet, “Lord, I love my life!”
Thanks for posting this blog. Its really appreciated. I abookmark this blog and will get bcak to you shortly. Now am in search for Furniture in Guadalajara.
Wow, Vanessa! This is beautifully written–and so poignant. I, too, struggle with sighing deeply over the smallest things. May we all be inspired by your words to find our hearts broken over the things that break God’s heart–and our hearts light and cheerful when they should be! Thank you so much for this inspiration!
Ouch. You caught me. Not only do I sigh. I also roll my eyes. Beautifully written post and very much appreciated.