Beautiful Jesus, how may I bless Your heart?
Knees to the earth I bow down to everything You are.
Knees to the earth
Beautiful Jesus
How may I bless Your heart?
Knees to the earth I bow down to everything You are.
Beautiful Jesus
You are my only worth.
So let me embrace You always as I walk this earth.
- Watermark
Question: Which of the following prompted this musing?
A.) The rolling of the eyes
B.) The complaints mumbled under breath
C.) The bad attitude veiled beneath a face void of any expression when spoken to, or
D.) The tantrum pitched when daddy's dirty shoe was removed from a 'mouth aimed' grasp
Answer: It was all of the above and more. (If you know my children, feel free to match the sin to the appropriate child)
There are some days that seem to go smoothly, where correction is administered and received appropriately, words of wisdom flow easily and surprisingly from my mouth, schedule and order are maintained, dinner is ready by 6:00 pm, and children go to bed on time AND stay in it! These days of peace can often lead to a dangerous path of trusting self to do a great job in parenting these children entrusted to me. Then there are days (like yesterday) where it seems as if my sweet 'innocent' children were abducted by aliens as I slept and replaced with children that look an awful lot like mine, but are blatantly full of sin and are willing to fight my authority at every turn. No - I realize they weren't abducted by aliens and this is not something that happened overnight. They were born that way...and it is God's grace that I have days like yesterday, to remind myself, that in order to parent these little sinners I have a desperate need for their creator and Saviour.
It was so hard to imagine the sin that lay beneath these sweet little faces:
However, it is Howard's message where he referred to "little seedbeds of sin", that frequently comes to mind as I watch my newest little one growing up (way too fast), and as I catch more glimpses into the depth of their sin, my own sin is often revealed. Wait a minute, a sinner raising sinners? Sounds too close to "the blind leading the blind" doesn't it?
It is another Howard message taught last Sunday to the rescue - So yes, I realize I am a sinner (a justified sinner) parenting sinners, and that in itself would seem to be a futile task and often causes me to ask the question "what authority do I have to address their sin when mine is so evidently on display?" - but my authority in this mission is not in context of who I am as a sinner, it was not given to me through the labor and delivery staff that placed my babies in my arms and told me I could take them home, it is not because of my stature (good thing since A is only 1/2 inch shorter than I am), and as I so often remind myself - my authority isn't based on the fact I can raise my voice, lose control, and banish them to their rooms for the day - :)
But as Howard taught Sunday, my authority is in the context of who I am representing (GOD) ....and as effectively quoted:
"Our limitations are not limits to our usefulness" - Ligon Duncan
or as I like to say:
"Thank goodness GOD can still work despite myself" - Yours Truly
ok not quite as poetic, but I've always said that because it has always been proven true. So far today, I have listened to the cries, screams, and bemoanings of 3 children as we have done breakfast, chores, and attempted to finish some schoolwork. You would think I am the worst mother in the world to hear their pleas, and if it weren't for the Mother's Day cards and gifts pinned to the cork board near my desk that announce to all that I am "the world's greatest" - I would be tempted to think that is what they truly believe.
I can not be their Saviour (Thanks J. Hodgson for reminding me at care group Friday), but I can point them to their Saviour. That realization, as hard as it is to remember, is reason for us all to breathe a sigh of relief.
It is a joy to be the parent of these 3 wonderful children. (Being their mother gives me license to use the term "wonderful" liberally does it not? :)) I can definitely see evidence of God's grace in each one of them and I know all hope is not lost.
Now I must end my ramblings for there is another argument brewing in the room adjacent to me, and selfishness is rearing it's head. Unkind words are being spoken and hearts are being tested. (Whew - isn't there a parenting class at the church tonight??)
