This is your new low...

In theater Mrs. Shelley has a saying, "This is your new low."  She is usually speaking to the kids about their volume.  If a child speaks a certain level-- and she needs them to speak louder, she has them do exercises to help them with their volume.  If a kid shows noticeable difference in the volume she will tell them.. "THIS IS YOUR NEW LOW" and she doesn't want to hear them speaking lower than that again- in fact they are supposed to keep working on speaking LOUDER and LOUDER. 

Anyhoo... I have discovered that I LOVE this saying...


The kids were copy working (is that a verb) a scripture and I informed them that if it was not written nicely they would be doing it over.  Well Emily and Mary Faith had to do theirs over but Matt wrote VERY nicely.. and he has--- well he has crap writing!  WORSE than chicken scratch!  But he did a really, really good job, and I knew he had worked hard on it.  I had him hang it on the wall and told him THIS IS YOUR NEW LOW-- don't write any messier than this! 

LOVE IT!

I am thinking about all the possibilities-- behaviour, skills, abilities...

It really is about standards.  We want to keep our standards high for our kids!  We want them to reach their potential!

So of course I can turn that on myself!  Didn't get laundry, dishes and mopping today--- Had a bad day with the kids during school--- became angry and sinned ONCE too many times today?

Well TODAY WAS MY NEW LOW-- I don't want to see myself at this place again!  I can do better, I can achieve the standard (God's standards) I can work towards my potential.

It doesn't mean that the kids and I will always stay above that low-- It doesn't mean that we will always hit our potential for the day---

BUT it does mean that we are reaching for greatness.  We are striving to be better! 

That is a good thing. Too often in this world the status quo is accepted-- in fact often it is the ONLY thing expected from a person.  We are better than that!  Schools teach to the lowest in the class-- what does that do for "brighter" kids?  Society doesn't expect a teenager to NOT be disrespectful or lazy-- they act all surprised when kids achieve something!  THEIR LOW IS VERY, VERY LOW!

Well as for me and MY household--- this is our new low... is going to help us rise above the status quo, rise above what the world excepts from us, rise above our lesser qualities and abilities...

and I am good with that.