...you will obey what I command. John 14:15
That's my bible memory verse this week. If you haven't checked out Bible Memory USA, you should!!! I am not good about memorizing Bible verses, but I think it is very important, and this is a tool that really has worked for me--I've learned 14 verses since June, though I'm bad at remembering the citation.
Back to the verse...
Talk about something you don't understand until you're a parent! I'm so thankful for how God uses both our children and our experiences as parents to teach us about Him.
Oh, what I would give for my children to obey me because they love me! The current obedience strategy is a "chore chart", with the basic things that I'd like the kids to do without me having to remind them--clear their dishes, get dressed, brush their teeth, and clean up their messes. Every day they do all their chores with minimal reminding (which still happens more than I'd like), they get a star. After a week of stars, we'll do something fun...Henry's totally into it because of the lesson they did in Sunday school this week...and because he really, really, really wants to go to the Children's Museum. (Little does he know the Star Wars display is gone...he's going to be heartbroken!)
There are lots of reasons that H&H don't obey...ok, why Henry doesn't obey. Sometime's he's so totally engrossed in what he's doing, he doesn't hear us, or if he does hear us, he'd rather continue what he's doing. Other times, he'd rather do it his own way, or for it to be his own idea. And sometimes, he just is being defiant and rebelling against our authority. Huh, sounds a lot like me and God somedays.
Harmony is another story. She's very concerned with following the rules and wanting approval, so she is very compliant. So part of parenting her is showing her that we love her unconditionally, that there is nothing she can do that will make her earn or lose our love. Hmm, sounds like a God lesson too.
Thanks, God for our children and the multitude of things you teach us through them. Help us point our children to you, and use these teachable moments to learn about you and learn to love you.
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3 comments:
I love the part about the children obeying because they love us. That would make me so happy. It reminds me that I need to obey God because I love him. Thanks for that post. God Bless!
Argh...I know. Someday, they will honor us as parents because they love us. Didn't happen for me until college, though! But, I wasn't raised in a home where this was taught day in and day out so there's always hope!
Reminds me to work on the proverbial eye-roll and sigh, spiritually speaking.
This is a verse to ponder and I wonder about my children as well but it seems they do want to please - most of the time - so it seems and unfortunately I am that way with God.
Thank you for a nice devotional. God Bless!
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