Working on Titus 2... a continual process

We've all read plenty of Titus 2 analysis that laser-beam-focuses in on that whole "keepers at home" part. It's good, it's significant, and it's biblical to learn this part of young womanhood, and it's a particularly hard lesson for young women of my generation, who have been taught that anything-- ANYTHING-- is more significant than "just" staying home.

But for my part, it's a lot harder to read other parts of that text... because they cut right to my sin and struggle; I'll bold them here:

train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

For me, other parts of that aren't so difficult to live out (although I definitely don't have those "in the bag")... but that whole self-controlled part... that's not anywhere near easy. I am sad to say it-- but there is no doubt in my mind that the word of God has been reviled many times because of my lack of self-control. There are times when I am out of control in any of the following areas: words, letting everything I'm thinking spill out without a biblical "filter", eating, anger, letting discouragement cloud out everything good that is happening in the world, time on the computer, and more...

And, yowzas!, that little four-letter word, "kind"! For some of you, that's probably second nature... maybe you're as Melanie Wilkes as they come. For me, it's so very difficult. It is easy for me to quickly slice and dice someone, their words, or their behavior/attitude/personality in my mind... and too often, out loud too. My deficiency in this area of kindness is severe-- whether or not I ever say a word. I know, even if no one else sees it, the depth of my own unkindness. And it can be u-u-ugly.

Thank God for GRACE!
We all are works in progress... there is a "working out" of our salvation... there is sanctification... there is a continual process of casting off the old and putting on the new. I am so thankful for His grace in my life... because while I can fairly easily check off the boxes of "working at home", or "loving her husband and children" (even though both of those still need work and attention at times and to varying degrees), there are some parts of Titus 2 that (for me) aren't easy at all.

Perhaps your rough spots are different... but aren't we all in need of grace? While I think it's biblical and right to encourage women towards "working at home" or other parts of specific mandates towards Christian women, I don't want to overlook the twin planks of unkindness and self-indulgence in my own eyes.