Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Six

Saturday night JJ fell asleep on the couch. He had played outside almost the entire day. He was wiped. We woke him up and made him go upstairs to get ready for bed. I was waiting for him on his bed when he came out of the bathroom. I said "JJ brush your teeth." He paused and walked to the sink and just stood there. I said "what's wrong?" He said "I don't have a toothbrush." By the look on my face, he knew he'd been had!!
"Why don't you have a toothbrush?" Silence. "Where is your toothbrush?" Silence. My voice rising, "How long have you not had your toothbrush?" Silence. Me becoming ballistic, "Did you leave your toothbrush at your friend's house when you slept over there LAST weekend?" Slow head nod yes. "SO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T BRUSHED YOUR TEETH FOR A WEEK? DO WE NOT HAVE A PLETHORA (yes I said plethora) OF TOOTHBRUSHES UNDER THE SINK?" Slow head nod yes. "WHY DID YOU NOT GET ONE OF THOSE? DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T BRUSH YOUR TEETH? CAVITIES!!
HOW OLD ARE YOU JJ?
DO YOU NOT KNOW BY NOW TO BRUSH YOUR TEETH?"

Of course at this point I was so beside myself that I had to leave the room. This was after he had gotten up at 8 a.m. Sat morning, played for two hours before we left the house, and then informed me he was hungry because he had forgotten to eat breakfast. This was after I drove the child back up to school Thursday night to get his homework out of his desk because he had left it there for the third time. So I had a Mommy moment Saturday night.

JJ is six.

So after I tucked him and got myself settled into bed, I laid there thinking about the whole situation. Why did I get so aggravated at him? After all, it is not like he was disobedient. Forgetting homework, breakfast, teeth brushing, is not a sin. It just isn't important to him. He is six. All he wants to do is play. He will deal with his grades, hunger, and cavities when he wants to. When he isn't playing. When someone tells him too.
Because he is six.
That is why I was so aggravated. These things seem so little to him now, but they are important to his life. I want him to understand that he is responsible, he is accountable for everything he does in life. I want him to realize that skipping small stuff, leads to bigger stuff. That there are consequences. Even though these things may not seem important to him and only important to me, they should be important to him. I had this discussion with JJ after the fact. I want him to listen. I want him to understand. This is part of growing up, even though he is only six.

Sunday God whacked me over the head with the whole situation. He reminded me that I am just like JJ. That there are so many "little" things I skip in my relationship with Him because I am too busy "playing" life. I let the "me" distract me. God reminded me of my accountability to Him. He reminded me of what I skip because it doesn't seem important at the time. He reminded me that in my relationship with Him, sometimes I am only six. That's a long way from being galvanized!!!!

I want Christ to rule every thought, action, and piece of my heart. I want to be a Godly wife. I want to be a Godly example for Nia and JJ. I want to be accountable and take captive everything to God. I am humbled how God uses my teaching moments (or ballistic moments) with my kids to teach me. It reminds me how unworthy I am to have Him as my parent.

I pray that we wouldn't let this world distract us. I pray that we would do our "homework." I pray that we wouldn't ignore our hunger for God's Word. I pray that we would continually "brush our teeth" so we can remove everything that isn't suppose to be there to allow the only One that is.

May you grow beyond "six" in your relationship with God.

....But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap
leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. Romans 6:22

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