The greatest ministry of all
Is it a bad sign when your little girls starts every sentence with "Mama, don't get mad, but...." ? Wow, that breaks my heart. It could mean many things. Either I get mad easily, she's prepping me for unpleasant news or she has sensed that I lost my patients. I'm pretty sure it's number three. {Sigh}.
Second grade has been a hard transition for our little girl. She is tearful most days and every night (starting around 8 p.m.) . Her greatest goal is to finish the day tear free. It hasn't happened yet, but she's getting close. It's not one of those 'cry out loud so everyone can hear and give me lots of attention' cries. It much more heartbreaking than that. It's one of those 'tears well up, hurry up and wipe them so no one knows how much I'm struggling' cry. We've been down this road before with our son in first grade, so you would think that it would make it easier, but for some reason it really doesn't. They are wired so uniquely that protocol is much much different. Words that use to comfort can sometimes make it worse. Since I was created female you would think that I would "get" her, but we too are very different and sometimes I'm at a loss for words.
The hard part... well, let me rephrase that.... the most revealing part is when we are cuddling, she sometimes just nestles up and cries that she misses her Bumpa. It has been a hard year for her (for all of us really) and at times I wonder if the whole school crying thing is unrelated to school. She lost two grandpas this year and that has to be hard on a little seven year old heart. Her tender spirit is sad and it is coming out it unexpected ways.
This has taught her one thing for sure; sometimes prayer is the only answer. I've reminded her that thoughts of worry do not come from God. He encourages us to be anxious for nothing. These moments of anxiety are works of evil and she can pray to God to bind Satan. She loves that idea, that God can bind... it IS pretty amazing that He can. She even prayed one day that He not only bind him, but that He also throw him out the window far away from our family. There ya go girl, that's more like it!
As I pray for more patience, she will keep praying for a worry free day. As I pray for her to be protected, she will pray Satan to be thrown out the window. As I get on my knees and thank God every day that He gave me HER to teach ME about life, love and patience; she will pray for her teacher. It's a sweet little balance.
This phase will soon be gone and we will move onto the next thing, but for now it's the season that we soak up. These are the small issues that have teaching moments sprinkled throughout and can not be overlooked. The years that I worked in ministry I would not have guessed that being a mother would have been my greatest ministry of all.
a random flash back picture of the girl that steals my heart everyday (trying on mama's wedding dress at four years old)
Second grade has been a hard transition for our little girl. She is tearful most days and every night (starting around 8 p.m.) . Her greatest goal is to finish the day tear free. It hasn't happened yet, but she's getting close. It's not one of those 'cry out loud so everyone can hear and give me lots of attention' cries. It much more heartbreaking than that. It's one of those 'tears well up, hurry up and wipe them so no one knows how much I'm struggling' cry. We've been down this road before with our son in first grade, so you would think that it would make it easier, but for some reason it really doesn't. They are wired so uniquely that protocol is much much different. Words that use to comfort can sometimes make it worse. Since I was created female you would think that I would "get" her, but we too are very different and sometimes I'm at a loss for words.
The hard part... well, let me rephrase that.... the most revealing part is when we are cuddling, she sometimes just nestles up and cries that she misses her Bumpa. It has been a hard year for her (for all of us really) and at times I wonder if the whole school crying thing is unrelated to school. She lost two grandpas this year and that has to be hard on a little seven year old heart. Her tender spirit is sad and it is coming out it unexpected ways.
This has taught her one thing for sure; sometimes prayer is the only answer. I've reminded her that thoughts of worry do not come from God. He encourages us to be anxious for nothing. These moments of anxiety are works of evil and she can pray to God to bind Satan. She loves that idea, that God can bind... it IS pretty amazing that He can. She even prayed one day that He not only bind him, but that He also throw him out the window far away from our family. There ya go girl, that's more like it!
As I pray for more patience, she will keep praying for a worry free day. As I pray for her to be protected, she will pray Satan to be thrown out the window. As I get on my knees and thank God every day that He gave me HER to teach ME about life, love and patience; she will pray for her teacher. It's a sweet little balance.
This phase will soon be gone and we will move onto the next thing, but for now it's the season that we soak up. These are the small issues that have teaching moments sprinkled throughout and can not be overlooked. The years that I worked in ministry I would not have guessed that being a mother would have been my greatest ministry of all.
a random flash back picture of the girl that steals my heart everyday (trying on mama's wedding dress at four years old)
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