Wednesday, April 28, 2010

The Heart of a Child

Being a mom is one thing I enjoy most.  As Drew grows we are encountering new battles - sometimes almost daily!  Last night was a lesson in and of itself, if for no one else, for me.  We had a late dinner - and I mean late...after 8 PM - and Drew was to the "I'm so tired I'll fuss about everything" stage.  Anthony was gracious enough to volunteer to bathe Drew and get him ready for bed.  I was cleaning the kitchen when Anthony got Drew down from the table to take him to the bath.  Immediately, Drew ran into the kitchen and began to cry because he did not want to go with Anthony.  Finally, with a red face and tears streaming down his cheeks, he huffed off down the hall with his dad.  As I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, I could hear the interaction between father and son.  My very patient husband was lovingly trying to move Drew toward the bathroom when he darted back into the living room.  It was at that point I turned to see Anthony standing in the hallway and Drew facing him from the living room.  Anthony did not raise his voice, he did not physically touch Drew.  He calmly told him it was time for a bath.  At that Drew went into meltdown mode.  The strangest part to me was not that Drew was screaming and crying but that through his meltdown, he obeyed his father.  I stopped what I was doing and thought to myself, "Was that a picture of true obedience?" 

What is obedience?  Is it obedient actions without a willing heart or is it a willing heart followed by obedient actions?  I was thrown for a loop.  Realizing that we often learn by example, I wonder what example am I setting for my children.  Demanding obedience is easier than exemplifying it.  However, I want my children to obey out of a willing heart rather than a fear of punishment.  How often do I exemplify this in my relationship with Christ?  Am I obedient to his commands because I fear hell or because I love Christ?  Are Anthony and I modeling mutual submission for our children?  Not as a form of domination or enslavement to one another, but as a form of love and care for each others needs. 

1 Samuel 15, Samuel relays to Saul that God is more pleased with obedience to His commands than with actions that contradict the law that God had laid before His people.  Saul knew the sin he had committed and tried to regain God's favor knowing that he was not truly willing to obey God.  God would rather I obey Him than religious rules/laws established by man.  So how does this relate to a 2 year old?  I choose to raise my children by God's word. Not as a demand they obey but as an example they can learn from.  I want my heart to be that of a child willingly obeying her Father and I want my boys to see that in my actions.  Must say, I love the lessons I learn through my Drew...and soon through my Sam too!  God is gracious to use those He entrusted to me as tools in order to teach me His lessons.

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