Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Catching Up, and Another Lesson in Grace

It has been awhile since I've posted. This homeschooling mommy has been very busy lately. Our family seems to finally be recovering from a particularly bad winter sickness-wise. I just started a new homeschool curriculum with our Kindergartner. We are back in the swing of Bible Studies and Wednesday night clubs.

One little lesson of grace learned recently was actually by our five year old, Lilly. Our little girl is the typical strong willed child. Very hard headed little girl, prefers to learn things by experience. I thought her lesson is worth sharing, Prodigals current and former all have to learn things the hard way. I hope this is a reminder to us all.

We sent our little Lilly to Wednesday night Word of Life Club, Gopher Buddies, last week. I was feeling a little under the weather, so I stayed home with our toddler, Emma. Lilly was running around having a good time, she was told to line up, she didn't want to. Strong willed children rarely do things just because they are told to you know. She had her warning and she still chose to disobey her coaches and run away. So, they brought in daddy, who was running the video for another class.

Lilly ran away from daddy when he came to get her. Daddy, not being one to put up with disobedience, swooped up the little girl and took her to the auditorium while he continued to run the video with the instruction for her to sit. Lilly decided to run away again. This time it was dark, this time she couldn't see what she was doing, this time there was a stair and a chair in the way, this time she fell and hit her eye.

I got a text to "come pick up Lilly." I was a little confused there was still an hour of club left. When we got to the church and found Anthony, my husband, Lilly was nowhere to be seen. I asked him what was going on, he told me that she was with one of our friends who is a nurse because she ran into a chair while she was running away from him and had a black eye. When I saw Lilly it was bad, her face was swollen, her eye was black and puffy. The girl was a mess.

After I got her home, I asked her what she was thinking when she ran away from her coaches and her father. She very honestly told me that she "wanted to show her coaches that she was old enough to make her own decisions." It didn't take much time to figure out how to handle this one. I told her no one is ever old enough to make there own decisions. I told her that even daddy and mommy can't make their own decisions, we have to ask God by reading His Word and praying before we make a decision. When it comes down to a decision to obey someone in authority over us, especially when that person loves God, like her coaches do, then we must do what the Bible says and obey.

This experience has really rocked Lilly's little world. She has been in deep thought for a five year old over the fact that going against God and making our own decisions usually ends in pain. She didn't want to look into the mirror for a few days. Some moments she behaves so mature and is so obedient, only to have the next moment be utter chaos. She is struggling so hard with the truth of what she has learned for herself. I know she gets it now far better than me telling her time and time again that she could get hurt if she doesn't listen. I know she gets it because she is fighting so hard with herself.

When I see the horrible black eye on my little girl I am reminded of my disobedience, my running away from God, my pain. Every time I've run away from God to try to prove to Him that I could make my own decisions, it has ended in pain. Emotional pain, physical pain, spiritual pain. When I see my daughter I am reminded that we all struggle with ourselves, and that we all have a choice, to follow, or to run. What direction are you going? Are you going to follow and enjoy peace, love, and safety, or are you a runner who knows about the pain. It isn't too late to turn around. You may have a black eye, but God wants to heal it and keep you from tripping and falling again. Just let Him.