One of Those Days

I wrote this little article for Elijah's preschool newsletter.

Have you ever had one of those days where you cannot believe the rebellious behavior of your preschooler? The sassy talk? The rolling eyes? The mean-spirited attitude and actions towards siblings? The blatant defiance … over and over again? And you vacillate between thinking “There must be something wrong with my child.” and “I must be doing something wrong?” Well, if you have not had one of those days then please write a book and let the rest of us know the recipe for a perfect child. And for the rest of us, there is hope. And His name is God. I don’t have the recipe for perfection, but I have the recipe for perspective. Sugar, caffeine and television. Just kidding. Wanted to check if you were actually reading this. When you have had “one of those days,” take a deep breath and get on your knees. First, thank God that he has blessed you with a child. Even on the worst of days, children are a blessing from the Lord. Second, ask God for wisdom and patience as you deal with your child. Pray that you could love your child the way God loves you. After all, how many times have we turned our back on God, rolled our eyes at him, ignored him and disobeyed his commands? And yet, the Bible says this:
The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” (Lamenations 3:22-24)
God is patient with even in the midst of our defiance … over and over again. He forgives us and gives us a clean slate. His mercies are new every morning. With God’s help, may we extend that same grace to our children.