This is the same child that was reprimanded yesterday for repeatedly interrupting and upstaging her classroom's birthday girl during her celebration.
Part saint, part sinner.
R's story is similar. The same dimpled little guy that pledges his undying devotion and love to his Mommy, showering me with affection when in the mood, ignores me, growls at me and stomps his feet with defiance and disrespect when things aren't going his way.
And P? He prays for the people inside every ambulance that drives by, for "families and even people who don't have families" yet he is also frequently sneaky, destructive and emotionally manipulative.
It is the inconsistency that befuddles me. These little bodies that live under my roof are walking mixtures of sinner and saint. And the two big bodies that live under my roof? We are too. There is no good in us apart from God. Left unto ourselves we will always choose the path that ultimately serves ourselves. Only through the work of God in our hearts and lives are we able to show grace, love, compassion, forgiveness, selflessness.
Yesterday's post was all about the stuff that I felt I needed to 'fix' in my children. Tonight my perspective is different. Tonight I marvel at the work God is already doing in their young hearts. They haven't yet accepted Him for themselves, but I get glimpses of how they are being brought nearer to Him.
It is my responsibility to train them up--to guide, direct and impart the Truth of God-- but the 'fixing' is not my job. Hearts, afterall, cannot get piecemeal bandaids. Hearts need radical change and renewal. Mommies are in the bandaid business, but God...He has much grander abilities than that.
A beautiful unfolding indeed.
6 comments:
This is beautiful. Thank you!
Lately, I have lain in bed at night and asked my husband "How can somebody I love so fiercely, make me so angry?" Such is the life with teenagers.
And yes, God could very well be asking Himself the same thing about me.
Love this post~it's so true!
Beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
"Sounds like something that 5 year olds do"...ha ha ha. No, really...my thoughts were these as I read this post. All of us are this way really. Not even those closest to God can achieve being perfect all the time. They are doing normal 5 year old stuff and then you have more opportunities to teach them about what God and Jesus want out of us. Each and every time they act out praise Him because that just makes them that much closer to the lord because you are showing them and teaching them in each and every situation and that will set them up for all the life stuff later.
The prize? That you already "get it" when your children are such a young age. Wonderful post. I always leave you place with a lot to ponder.
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