A jihad against Her behavior is not our responsibility; our response is.

Her behavior is not our responsibility; our response is.

A friend asked me how I deal with my mil, who everyone can see does not like me or acknowledge me.
She has never really treated me like family, and at best tolerates me. She is not involved in my childrens lives at all, NEVER has been.
I used to be offended sometimes even hurt by her behavior. I took it out on my husband instead of saying anything to her. I dealt with the the mean remarks, the cattiness, etc for years in hurt silence.
Today though I understand this "Her behavior is not my responsibility; my response is."
If you are dealing with a mil read this. I hope it helps someone.
The meaning of the Greek word that is translated "busybody" in the 1 Timothy passage means "a self-appointed overseer in other men's matters."
Overseeing is what some mothers-in-law are engaged in, or at least accused of. This kind of behavior is annoying, very frustrating, and contrary to God's plan for the family.

A husband who allows his mother to interfere with his marriage is not living up to the commandment given to husbands in Ephesians 5:25-33. Boundaries need to be set and then held regardless of the resistance encountered. The reality is that people treat us the way we allow them to treat us. If we permit them to trample the sanctity of our family, then that is what they will do,

What can we do about reacting to a woman who acts in the way a manipulating meddling mother-in-law does? We can make a choice not to allow her to take away our peace of mind. We may not be able to change the way others behave, but how we respond to their behavior is our choice. We can allow the actions of other people to get to us, or we can choose to give it over to God and allow Him to use this to strengthen us spiritually. It is our own response to this type of situation that fuels our frustration. Only we can stop wearing ourselves out emotionally by allowing an interfering mother-in-law's actions to be the arbiter of our own peace. Her behavior is not our responsibility; our response is.
Declared by Anonymous on Tuesday, November 29, 2011