At bedtime recently L confessed to an act of disobedience. It was clear that her conscious demanded she tell the truth. However, in the midst of her confession she also lied - trying to hide the disobedience. As is our custom, there was a consequence for her actions.
She was sorrowful. She came downstairs lamenting that she had given into the temptation. Her sobs were from the heart and she was truly repentant.
In the meantime G also wondered downstairs to inquire as to why L was crying. We assured her that everything was under control and she needed to return upstairs. She chose to stay downstairs and thus ultimately received a consequence for her disobedience. She began weeping.
So now we sat on the couch with two sobbing girls. It was there that I realized. One cried out of remorse for her own sin and one cried out of dislike for the consequence. For L, there was no thought of the consequence and for G there was not thought of the disobedience.
Lord, give me wisdom in parenting these precious girls. Allow me to help them see their need for a Savior, but also to accept his grace and forgiveness. Amen!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
An Easter Reminder
I left my home grumpy this morning. It was Easter morning, a day when I should have been more joyful and cheerful. But alas I fell victim to frustration, pride, vanity, & disappointment. The very sins for which my Savior died. And here I was on the way to church to celebrate his victory over the grave with a heart full of sin.
My grumpiness was unfounded; it was prideful and vain. First there was a battle when it came time to get dressed. The three year old, who is very sensitive to all stimulus, thought her dress was too "itchy". She didn't like the waistband and said the dress was uncomfortable. I dug in my heals. I had bought her and her sister new Easter dresses, after all. They were cute and matching. Michael & I had coordinating colors - so we were going to make a very snappy photograph. So I fought the battle . . . there were tears (hers, not mine). And I won. She wore the dress. She must learn to like the dress, I reasoned; after all in a couple of years she will wear the dress again - in the bigger size that her sister wears today. Vanity.
I had hoped to make myself a cup of Chai Latte this morning. Time ran short. We raced out the door and the milk sat in the cold refrigerator instead of piping hot in my travel mug. My disappointment was high. My pride surfaced - if I didn't have to spend so much time caring for everyone else, I could have made my chai. There was no love in my heart for those whom I had served. I also reasoned that if I hadn't needed to engage in the battle of the dress, I could have made my drink. Pride.
And yet here I was, on my way to church to celebrate the forgiveness which I so badly needed.
As my repentant heart pondered the events of the morning, the Lord reminded me of what did happen this morning. Instead of hunting for Easter eggs or opening Easter presents, I spent 20 minutes on the couch with my girls - reading the Easter Story. Those 20 minutes were precious and priceless and much better for my soul than a cup of chai would have been for my tummy. And then I looked around the car, we were all in the car together. All of us. For the first time that I can remember we all rode together. Our family took one car to church. In order to do this we left home a few minutes earlier than I would have if I had been driving just the girls. It was rare morning when I had to be there a little earlier than usual and Michael could afford to arrive a little later than usual. There's something about riding together to church as a family that does my heart good.
So by time I reached church, my heart was again joyful. We were together as a family and I had invested in the right places. I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit's work in my heart so that I could be reminded of my desperate need for the work my Savior did on the cross. My celebration of Christ's resurrection was just a little more sweet today.
And we did get a cute picture too - - -but that's not what it was all about. It's just reminder, again, of God's grace in my life. :)
My grumpiness was unfounded; it was prideful and vain. First there was a battle when it came time to get dressed. The three year old, who is very sensitive to all stimulus, thought her dress was too "itchy". She didn't like the waistband and said the dress was uncomfortable. I dug in my heals. I had bought her and her sister new Easter dresses, after all. They were cute and matching. Michael & I had coordinating colors - so we were going to make a very snappy photograph. So I fought the battle . . . there were tears (hers, not mine). And I won. She wore the dress. She must learn to like the dress, I reasoned; after all in a couple of years she will wear the dress again - in the bigger size that her sister wears today. Vanity.
I had hoped to make myself a cup of Chai Latte this morning. Time ran short. We raced out the door and the milk sat in the cold refrigerator instead of piping hot in my travel mug. My disappointment was high. My pride surfaced - if I didn't have to spend so much time caring for everyone else, I could have made my chai. There was no love in my heart for those whom I had served. I also reasoned that if I hadn't needed to engage in the battle of the dress, I could have made my drink. Pride.
And yet here I was, on my way to church to celebrate the forgiveness which I so badly needed.
As my repentant heart pondered the events of the morning, the Lord reminded me of what did happen this morning. Instead of hunting for Easter eggs or opening Easter presents, I spent 20 minutes on the couch with my girls - reading the Easter Story. Those 20 minutes were precious and priceless and much better for my soul than a cup of chai would have been for my tummy. And then I looked around the car, we were all in the car together. All of us. For the first time that I can remember we all rode together. Our family took one car to church. In order to do this we left home a few minutes earlier than I would have if I had been driving just the girls. It was rare morning when I had to be there a little earlier than usual and Michael could afford to arrive a little later than usual. There's something about riding together to church as a family that does my heart good.
So by time I reached church, my heart was again joyful. We were together as a family and I had invested in the right places. I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit's work in my heart so that I could be reminded of my desperate need for the work my Savior did on the cross. My celebration of Christ's resurrection was just a little more sweet today.
And we did get a cute picture too - - -but that's not what it was all about. It's just reminder, again, of God's grace in my life. :)
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