When I began this blog last December I remember one of the motivations of doing so was to help me focus on and dive deeper into what I was reading in my quiet time and the thoughts/concerns I was praying about -- in short, put words into these thoughts I was having at the time. I had been journaling off and on, particularly when I came across scriptures that spoke to me, or when I wanted to jot down a key point from a sermon or bible study lesson, or just record a memorable moment experienced with the girls. I enjoy times of reflection, and consistency is in my DNA, so my early morning quiet times have become a sacred part of my daily life. When I miss them, or more often, when I am rushed or my mind begins to wander to the plans of the day, I easily lose focus of what God may be trying to teach me through His Word or the circumstances I'm going through. Yesterday I had one of those moments when you realize that time is just flying by -- half the summer is over and it seems like yesterday was the end of May and the girls were just getting out of school. And to a lesser extent, I realized I hadn't blogged in 2 months. There's a correlation here. Indeed we have been busy this summer. So here goes...just some quick thoughts on something I've been thinking about a lot lately: parenting.
I've been reading through the Old Testament this year, and I'm currently in the book of 1st Kings. The Kingdom has just split as God's patience with Israel has nearly reached its end. The OT is filled with stories of Israel's continued disobedience toward God. God was the perfect parent and Israel still wandered. When I think of my role as a parent, I am reminded to look to God when I lose patience with my girls; acknowledge that I'm not perfect and just strive to extend mercy and grace like my heavenly Father. With Cindy being out of town for work last week and this week, I've been forced into a more active role in this regard. Of course when she's around I have the luxury of falling back into the common football analogy -- where we play zone coverage, and more often than not, Cindy does the heavy lifting much of the time as the "go-to-Mommy" Today was full-on man-to-man coverage for me as the enemy is bearing down on Taylor. With her right arm currently in a cast, she's been fighting a fever off an on and was diagnosed yesterday with an ear infection -- and last night's mysterious middle-of-night ankle pain episode led to a midday sick call from camp. I was prepared for this and left work early to get her and Nicole, but I was not prepared for the dinnertime theatrics that ensued tonight. As much as I tried to smooth things over, there was no winning this battle. I think it was lost when Cindy left town yesterday -- they miss their mom. I pray this week for a little extra dose of patience and wisdom in parenting as I man up to be the father God intends for me to be for His children, Taylor and Nicole.
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