Pearls of Encouragement for Christian Working Moms
February 2007 Edition
Welcome
Online Bible Study
Blog Comments
Article – Are You a Balcony Person or a Basement Person?
Final Thoughts

Welcome

Welcome to all the new CWM subscribers, we grow more and more each day. You are not alone. We are no longer invisible. May God continue to strengthen you each day in his wisdom and knowledge. If you have not filled out the CWM Survey go to www.christianworkingmom.com and click on survey. Over 1300 women have filled out the survey. Also, the Resource page on the website has been updated with new resources, take a look at http://www.christianworkingmom.com/resources.htm.

I don’t know about you, but I can do worry and anxiety well. God is continuing to work with me in this area. I have grown, but I still need to grow more. An excellent book written by a Christian author about anxiety, is Calm My Anxious Heart. As a therapist and a Christian I think the book does an excellent job of using biblical principles to help in the area of anxiety. Click here to find the book.

Online Bible Study

Lesson 4 is now posted for the Online Bible Study. The title of this lesson is I Choose Joy. You will read what humorous thing happened in my life when I decided to live by that motto. The Online Bible Study can be found at
http://kimberlychastain.com/discussCWMU. If you have just started the lessons, you are not behind. You can complete them as you have time. Please share your answers on the discussion board. We can learn from one another.

Blog Comments

We continue to have good discussions on the CWM Blog and support one another. I just posted a question about Valentine’s Day and if you do things special for your children. As always in the Open Comment Section you can post new topics for discussion. Also, there will be a post about today’s article. The blog can be found at http://christianworkingmoms.com/blogspot.com. You can also find the link at www.christianworkingmom.com.

Article – Are you a Balcony Person or a Basement Person?

I have to give my sister credit for sharing this illustration with me. I think you will find it helpful as well. Our world has becoming increasingly critical. You can watch TV and see various “experts” argue about issues and become vicious. Putting someone down for children, teenagers, and adults has become an art form. You need to “diss” them before they “diss” you. Saying something kind is considered being weak. So, the question is are you a Balcony Person or a Basement Person? Do you as a Balcony Person lift up, encourage people, build them up, and bring them up? Or are you a Basement Person. Do you tear people down, criticize them, and critical of their actions. Which do you think is easiest to do? What does the world teach?

As Christians we are called to follow God’s standard not the world’s. Let’s see what scripture says about our speech. Ephesians 4:29, 32 says the following: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you.” God calls us to be Balcony People, building others up according to their needs. I have heard this verse many times in my life, but something stood out to me this time in reading the verse. The verse says build others up according to their needs. To me this does not mean empty flattery, but really getting to know a person so you know what to say that can truly build them up. We can encourage them as they grow in Christ or as they grow in other areas of their lives. We can speak God’s word to people and provide his comfort not our own.

I have some questions for you to consider. I have asked them of myself and honestly, I don’t always like the answers.

1. In my work place and I the first one to be critical and find fault or do I try
to find a solution?

2. Am I known as the office gossip?

3. Am I quick to judge others and be critical?

4. Do I purposely try to encourage my coworkers? Do I point out their
good points?

5. As a parent, are my comments to my kids more negative than positive?
Am I always on them?

6. As a parent, do I find opportunities to encourage and lift my children up?

7. As a Christian friend, am I quick to point out sin in other people’s lives or
do I encourage them as a fellow sister in Christ?

8. How would others describe me? Am I a Balcony person or a Basement
person?

9. Am I encouraging my children to choose to be Balcony person’s according
to Scripture?

10. Are my children’s friends Balcony or Basement people? Remember our
children are greatly affected by their peers.

The pull of the world is strong. The world says beat people to the put down. Only weak people say kind things to others. You don’t want to be perceived as “brown nosing”. The bottom line is as Christians our guidebook is the Bible and the Bible is clear about how we are to interact with others. We are to build them up and not tear them down. Our sinful nature is quick to judge. As Christians, we are new creatures in Christ. We are called saints in Ephesians. Only with God’s power and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit can we change our selfish nature to one that is of Christ. So, can I encourage you to rely on the power of God to transform you to a Balcony person and bring those around you up to see the view. Not in a high and mighty fashion, but for us to see others as God’s holy creation. We are created in his likeness. So, when we put down others we are literally putting down God.

May we all strive to become more like Christ and lift others up.

Final Thoughts

Don’t you just love the chocolate for Valentine’s Day? I guess I love chocolate any day. Enjoy the candy. If you don’t get any, you can always sneak some for your kids. I’m not telling.

Till next time,

Kimberly M. Chastain

Email Kimberly

Enter Website