My son Blake has a stubborn streak. If I correct him, he'll either completely ignore me or flash an adorable grin my way and continue doing whatever he pleases. Lately, this has landed him in more one and a half minute timeouts than I'd like. I never thought I'd have a headstrong child since most of the time Mike and I are pretty easygoing.
I started mentally placing blame when this trait became apparent. It was Mike's fault. He's quiet and laid-back, but he can be quite obstinate. To be fair though, most people think Blake is the perfect mixture of Mike and I, and this trait really is no different. I can be sweet, but I can be stubborn - and sometimes even sweetly stubborn!
Just like Blake, there are times when I ignore my Father's voice. I'm not proud of it. Sometimes I'll be in the midst of an emotional response and I'll hear His gentle, "Stop. Apologize. Forgive." From there it is my choice to obey immediately or to say, “I don’t want to Lord! Let me do it my way, just this once? I’ll obey you next time.”
There are times when I fall short, and when I do there are usually consequences. Consequences that He wanted to keep me from in the first place. Times when I could have avoided a downright mess if I had just listened to Him. Sometimes my Abba puts me in a timeout of sorts. But when He does, it is comforting to me because He does it out of love for me.
Lord, please help me to deny myself and follow you. I want to be more obedient than a willful toddler. Help me to obey you the first time, each and every time.
I started mentally placing blame when this trait became apparent. It was Mike's fault. He's quiet and laid-back, but he can be quite obstinate. To be fair though, most people think Blake is the perfect mixture of Mike and I, and this trait really is no different. I can be sweet, but I can be stubborn - and sometimes even sweetly stubborn!
Just like Blake, there are times when I ignore my Father's voice. I'm not proud of it. Sometimes I'll be in the midst of an emotional response and I'll hear His gentle, "Stop. Apologize. Forgive." From there it is my choice to obey immediately or to say, “I don’t want to Lord! Let me do it my way, just this once? I’ll obey you next time.”
There are times when I fall short, and when I do there are usually consequences. Consequences that He wanted to keep me from in the first place. Times when I could have avoided a downright mess if I had just listened to Him. Sometimes my Abba puts me in a timeout of sorts. But when He does, it is comforting to me because He does it out of love for me.
Lord, please help me to deny myself and follow you. I want to be more obedient than a willful toddler. Help me to obey you the first time, each and every time.
My child, don't ignore it when the LORD disciplines you,
and don't be discouraged when he corrects you.
For the LORD corrects those he loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.
Proverbs 3:11-12
Proverbs 3:11-12
1 comment:
Kim, I enjoy your writing a lot. Aren't we all like testy toddlers? It's so hard to get it right the first time. God is the most patient parent around. I've always thought that parenting has a lot of growth opportunites. It sounds like you're tuned in to what God wants to teach you while you're in the process of teasing your son. Hang in there!
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