Tuesday, April 26, 2011

A Thought to Ponder

I take my girls to the local library on Mondays for children's story-time.  They have a hard time sitting through the whole session (~30min.), so I purposefully come later, so as not to disturb the other library patrons with running, squealing, crying little girls. After the reading time, there are two tables set up with crayons and coloring sheets. I think the latter part of the "library time" is my oldest's favorite part. She's gotten significantly better since we started attending back in January. The younger sister prefers to "hiding" between the rows of short bookshelves, as well as "inside" the standing, rotating, 360 shelves clustered together.
I meet new moms every week and have short, 411 conversations about our kids' ages, names, interests, and challenges. Today, I talked to a mom I'd seen before but not actually conversed with.  She was curious about my youngest's name: Selah. One thing led to another and I learned that she's been a teacher for a while, has 5 kids (the oldest being adopted... a nephew, in fact, if I heard right), and is a Christian. I found myself asking her a question about toddler development and discipline issues.
She had quite a few things to share that I found interesting and somewhat helpful, but it was her last piece of advice that brings me to the title of this entry.
"You are a believer, right? So even after I read parenting books, I realize that a lot of what I 'use' in my parenting comes from what I've been reading in the Scriptures. After all, you are the best parent for your child, right? We believe that God doesn't make mistakes. He'll show you what to do as you spend time with Him and bring your questions to Him." 

It was the "you are the best parent for your child" statement that got me. Am I REALLY the best parent for Kathryn and Selah? Just because I carried and bore them, I'm the best training and upbringing that they can expect in this life? And she based it off the statement that "God doesn't make mistakes."  I don't completely understand why the reasoning doesn't seem to fit as perfectly as she made it seem at the time. Perhaps they are the best children for me? (A different way of seeing the relationship?)
The part that I am pondering though is the great responsibility that I have to rise to the occasion of teaching, training, disciplining, and loving the children placed in my daily care and protection. I am daunted and intimidated by that thought... I have no clue where to start. But then she gave me the answer to that, too: the Scriptures and time spent asking my LORD do have the answers in some form, I just need to be seeking them.

Strange how the obvious and past-proven answer isn't my first "go-to" or second nature, yet. :-/ I need to put some disciplines into my every day to insure such practices.

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