One night last week, all I wanted was to put my feet up so I could have that great feeling. I was getting ready to stretch out on the couch with my new magazine after a rough evening with one of my children. The conflict had finally subsided, and I was drained. I slipped off my shoes, fluffed up the pillows behind me, and was in the midst of stretching across the couch when my eight year-old stepped in front of me with a book in her hand.
"Can we do our devotion now?"
Now, what was I going to say to that? It's not something I'm good about following through on every night, but I certainly couldn't say no. I lowered my feet back down to the floor, and my little girl snuggled up next to me. Her little brother slid in on her other side.
She already had the page ready, and asked if she could read it. I nodded and she read the title out loud.
"Respecting Your Parents." With that announcement, she immediately cut her eyes over to her older brother who had been my challenge of the night. I repressed a smile.
She continued reading, and I realized I had two choices for our discussion. I could further illustrate my point to my oldest son, using examples from earlier in the evening. Or I could use this opportunity to discuss with these children sitting next to me how they can show respect. I recognized (with the help of Bob and Larry, thank you VeggieTales) that they needed positive examples and a discussion that did not involve their brother's actions.
It was one of the best discussions we've had over a devotion.
When I was down on myself, feeling like a failure as a parent, God used an eight year-old child to bring my focus back to the right direction.
And there was still plenty of time to put my feet up.
What is something that has helped you change your focus when things are rough?
No comments:
Post a Comment