Rejoicing Over Discord
Today I am rejoicing because of progress! It was a hard day because there was a lot of bickering, crying and discord. So, why am I rejoicing? Well, for one thing I did not lose my temper! Its always a positive thing when I can lead by example and show the fruit of the spirit of self control. I kept my peace and was able to walk the girls through their issues. I will take bickering and discord over what we have dealt with in the past any day! Our life has felt "normal" for the first time in years! In addition, one of my daughters cried openly twice today,whereas in the past she would never allow herself to express this emotion. That means God is softening her heart and healing her as well.
Don't get me wrong, we are not "there" yet! We still have a lot of work to do on ourselves and on behalf of our girls. I am continually on my knees asking God for wisdom to lead well. If there is anything I KNOW, it is that I am aware of my lack of wisdom and knowledge to parent! My father has a funny saying about parenting ( he IS from the South after all). He says parenting is like holding a wet bar of soap. You hold it too loosely and the bar of soap slips through your hands and falls to the ground. You squeeze it too tightly and the bar of soap shoots upwards and out of your hand. So true!
So right now we are praying for a teachable and open heart for one of our girls. This is one who leans towards being a perfectionist. It is very hard for her to even admit that she has done anything wrong. She is also very far from the Lord right now. Public school has taken it's toll in just a single year it seems. The child who was once very eager to read the bible and loved to memorize scripture has a total aversion now. So, something tells me we may have to reevaluate our educational choices at some point. Until then, we will rejoice over our progress and pray over our worries and fears.
Don't get me wrong, we are not "there" yet! We still have a lot of work to do on ourselves and on behalf of our girls. I am continually on my knees asking God for wisdom to lead well. If there is anything I KNOW, it is that I am aware of my lack of wisdom and knowledge to parent! My father has a funny saying about parenting ( he IS from the South after all). He says parenting is like holding a wet bar of soap. You hold it too loosely and the bar of soap slips through your hands and falls to the ground. You squeeze it too tightly and the bar of soap shoots upwards and out of your hand. So true!
So right now we are praying for a teachable and open heart for one of our girls. This is one who leans towards being a perfectionist. It is very hard for her to even admit that she has done anything wrong. She is also very far from the Lord right now. Public school has taken it's toll in just a single year it seems. The child who was once very eager to read the bible and loved to memorize scripture has a total aversion now. So, something tells me we may have to reevaluate our educational choices at some point. Until then, we will rejoice over our progress and pray over our worries and fears.
This is an old picture of the girls and I playing around.
Comments
Post a Comment