Is it your child’s first day on Earth? No, I’m not talking about that special, exciting moment when you first lay eyes on your new baby. I’m talking about that wondrous mystery that happens every night while your child sleeps. The inexplicable wiping of the hard drive of their minds that causes them to wake up in the morning completely forgetting any previous skills they have learned. Skills such as how to get dressed and how to make, eat, and clean up breakfast. Schoolwork is baffling, spelling and multiplication tables are gone overnight!
As a new parent, I thought that my babies would learn skills one at a time, gradually adding to them as they grew. I did not realize that it is more of a one step forward and ten steps back, (or sideways) type of growth. I had also thought that as my children got older they would be able to retain information and life skills for longer periods of time. Nope. An older child of mine has had the same chore for six and a half YEARS simply because he cannot do the job without being reminded.
Recently I have been reading the Old Testament in the Bible. I noticed that God calls the Israelites “children”. I also noticed that like my own children, the Israelites seemed to forget things overnight too. Things like obeying God’s laws and letting God lead them. They also forgot God’s promises that He would provide for them, fight for them, and that He loved them very much.
This is where my own trouble with amnesia comes in. I too can forget overnight God’s provision of the day before. His manna that He provided or a battle He won while all I had to do was be still. I also forget how much He loves me and how much grace He has for me. Much more than I have for my children when they have again forgotten how to do a simple chore. And the things God asks of us are simple: believe I love you, let me take care of you, rest in me.
Again, like my children and the Israelites, I take one step of faith forward and ten steps back. And God has grace.
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Deuteronomy 4:9
It’s amazing how we look at our children and want them to do what we say, when we too have forgotten, forgotten God’s love for us, his forgiveness for us every time we forget to look to him. I find myself in those places many times, more often than not!
I was sharing with a few ladies how I woke up, got dressed, and proceeded to direct my children to do what I thought they should already know what they were to do every morning. Well, you can imagine how that turned out. I was so frustrated with having to remind them of their chores again, that I went to the place of being angry, mad to crying uncontrollable, that I could not stop! In my crying I realized that I needed The Father, my Lord, my savior. I also realized I FORGOT to raise up and go to Him for wisdom, peace and direction. I FORGOT to give that to my children. I too was reminded how I was not doing what I should have done! Yuck! How am I directing my children, when I am not allowing God to direct me? You know some of my stories as a mother and you know how often we all struggle.
Thank you for your faithfulness to step out in faith. We all need to do this, like John 15:7, Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.
Thank you Brenda for being vulnerable and sharing! I am so glad God is always there for us.
It’s good to be reminded I need to let God drive and to quit trying to take back the wheel.
What a perspective. Children of God! I’ve never looked at “children” of God that way. Wow! That’s their name and move on. to the next verse. Need to finish my daily reading. 🙂 What a lesson for me in just that word …just that thought. I’ll be back. Got to talk to my DAD.
Very true words. Way to go on adding your first photo to the post 🙂 You’re doing great!