Thursday, April 11, 2013

Modesty, or Ungratefulness?

Twice a week I help out the public library in Watauga with their toddler and pre-schooler story time  It's wonderful, because the children are beautiful and adorable and I love to spend time with them every week. Today's theme was dinosaurs, and the craft was coloring in a stegosaurus and then using your hand print for the spikes along the spine. I was tidying up the crayons and things afterwards, and a little boy came up to me. He handed me his paper and then said I could have it. At first I said, "Oh no, that's ok!" thinking that he should save his hand prints for his mom. However, I noticed that he had written "To Shara" on it, and he had written his name, and even named the stegosaurus "Mical." How rude would it have been if I had turned down that gift? There he was being sweet and kind and my first reaction was, "No, thank you." I proceeded to hug him and thank him profusely for the sweet gift, and I will be taping it to my bedroom door. How often do we do that, though? Someone could compliment your hair, and we say, "Oh, well I'm having a bad hair day." Someone could say, "You're a great cook!" and we'll reply with, "No, I'm not." Is this modesty, or is it ungratefulness? Is it being humble, or making the other person feel uncomfortable and sheepish for trying to be kind?
This week, if someone compliments the shoes you wear or your pretty singing voice or your lovely face, don't try to negate it with a bad comment of yourself. Accept the compliment, the gift offered to you by someone kind, and thank them.

~Sarah