“Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” And He laid His hands on them…” Matthew 19:13-15a
The kitchen is the hub of my home. Each day I teach my children there, cook there, even my laptop is there. The rest of the house could blow away and we would probably be just fine as long as the kitchen (and at least one bathroom) stayed put.
As you probably have deduced from my description, the very fact that I was alone in this room one day this week is a highly unusual thing. Anyway, I was alone and enjoying every minute of it. My hands were busy making calzone rolls and my ears were catching an entire episode of Focus on the Family. Life was about perfect. Then I heard it - the sound of feet on the stairs and a little voice.
“Mommyyyyyyyy….”
The irritation was instant. “How aggravating! Here I am with a little bit of time, finally, to be alone and someone needs me.” For the love of Pete – can’t they ever leave me alone?!!”
Cue the voice of God.
“When is the last time you came to Me and I responded with irritation?”
Ouch.
As a parent, I am a representation of the Lord to my children. One of my most important jobs is to teach them about the Father’s love, compassion, patience, mercy, judgment, righteousness and even righteous anger. If I react with irritation and frustration when a child comes to me with a need, what does that say about the Lord - the One I am teaching them to pray to about everything that concerns them?
My goal is to change my reactions to my precious children to reflect the reactions of my heavenly Father to me, His precious child. He is always fair, full of love, just and merciful, firm and decisive in His correction and punishment, always willing to forgive and give good gifts. He is never too busy to hear me or to answer. I want to be like Him.
“When Jesus heard what had happened [the murder of John the Baptist], He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed Him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick. Matthew 14:13-14
Prayer:
Father, thank You for your consistent love for me. Thank you for always being there when I come to You with a need. Please help me to ever mindful of the privilege of reflecting You to my children. Amen.
Challenge:
Watch for opportunities this week to act in the character of God in your relationships. Search the Scriptures for examples of the Lord’s reaction to sin, need, etc.
Jen G. 2010
4 comments:
I've caught myself in this recently, being annoyed by my children rather than seeing the blessing that they are. The Lord is so patient with us . . . so gracious!
Really enjoyed reading this post this morning. I was coming over to say hello and to find out more about that crock pot fiasco. ha! Now that's pretty funny. I'm curious to know what happened there....didn't have it on?
Ouch! My response to my children is so often that of the inconvenienced parent. I never stopped to think of God's attitude when I come to Him.
That second verse, where Jesus went to be alone and the crowds followed and yet He had compassion on them--wow. You have hit it right on the head this time!
Thanks for sharing.
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