Ten year old Chase was so tired last night that when I told him to brush his teeth he said, "I don't want to." Like he had a choice.
There may be numerous reasons why he doesn't want to brush, and we've tried to address them all, but this is a very common scenario in our home. We tell him to get ready for bed, and he stalls. He has perfected the stall beyond what all three of the other kids have done. When I tell him to brush his teeth now, but he finds many reasons to delay said brushing, he is being disobedient.
I didn't want to write this post, because I think I've said it before, which just goes to show how little I've progressed in this area. However, last night I had to show Chase much mercy in his disobedience, because God had been showing me much mercy in my disobedience. All day He had been telling me to do certain things, one of which was to finish my Bible Study, and I had been whining and stalling.
Of course the lesson in the Bible study was about when God tells us to do something, we must respond immediately. Ouch.
I have some potentially challenging things coming up. It's so important that I take care of the "little things". That's always been the hardest for me. I've begged Him to help me, and I really see how He has been trying to teach me. He has been so patient.
What is God waiting to do through me that I'm prohibiting by my stalling?
Tonight, I made Chase brush his teeth immediately.
(After giving the rabbit water)
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12 years ago
2 comments:
I know this isn't the point you're presenting, but in my house, we've been talking about this very issue with the girls. If they don't want to do something, they use incredibly advanced techniques to avoid the task at hand. Usually, Keith and I don't realize their success in avoidance until it's too late.
So, we've been talking about ways to teach obedience and insist upon it. If we as parents don't teach it, as adults our children won't understand the importance of it. The lack of consequence for disobedience under our care may translate later as disobedience toward God being optional or not really all that important.
I don't think I was taught the importance or practice of obedience as a child and I wonder if that isn't part of why it's so darned hard now. Thank heaven for our merciful God.
You're so right. I think about this all the time. I fact sometimes I say, you must obey me now, so that later you will obey God. Good comment.
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