Do you ever become frustrated with the misbehavior of your children? Do you get tired of correcting the same problems over and over again? Do you feel embarrassed when your children misbehave in front of others? Well, if you're a real live mom then, of course, you have experienced all of these! They come with the territory of motherhood, and these experiences can be true joy stealers for us moms! I have mentioned several times that our mom's group at our church has been going through the book Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids With the Love of Jesus. I have learned a lot - a whole lot - not only as a mom but as a Christian from this study. As we were going through chapter 3 last month, I was struck by a sentence that has completely changed my perspective on the misbehavior of my children.
"...everytime something unexpected happens (referring to misbehavior of children), it is once again God approaching her (the mom) in love to show her the glories of the gospel and beauties of grace." (parenthesis mine)
In other words, I (the mom) can be thankful that my child is acting this way right now because it is an opportunity from God to address my heart response to my child and then the heart of my child. This is an opportunity that I have to pour the gospel once more into his life, to show him once more that He is a sinner who needs Jesus to save Him from his sin. This is something that God has allowed me to see so that I can deal with the issue properly.
Don't get me wrong, it still becomes tiring as I deal with the sinfulness of my kiddos, but I can now (usually) breathe a quick prayer of thanks that God is giving me another opportunity to love my child by showing him his need for Jesus. It is also a wonderful way to deal with the embarrassment we moms may feel when our children show their sinful natures in front of others. I can honestly say to someone who wants to make sure that I have seen how terrible my kids are acting that I am thankful I am seeing this now so that I can take care of it and so that I can have yet another opportunity to tell my children the good news of the gospel!
So, sweet Mom, the next time you are confronted once again with your child's sin nature, be reminded that this is a chance to give thanks for God's grace. He is giving you an opportunity to see into your child's heart and to bring to their attention the need they have for Jesus! Who would have thought? We can be joyful moms despite the constant misbehavior that may seem to abound around us. By the way, addressing our child's heart problem can be a great opportunity to check our own hearts. We need Jesus just as much as the 5 year old does...maybe more! I pray this truth will sink deep into your heart and allow you to be a more joyful mom this week! Happy Monday!
Wishing you a day full of blessings,
Christy
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