“All I asked you to do before I got home is…”, you say. Isn’t their frequent reply, “I was gonna, but
I didn’t know you’d be back so soon”? Every tenth time, don’t you begin to
wonder what it will take to get their attention?
You’ve left notes, called or texted reminders
explaining your urgent deadlines; eventually you get to the point of despair.
Don’t your concerns matter to them? All the mushy birthday and mother’s day
cards to the contrary, do they really care what you expect, what you need from
them? There comes a point when good
intentions either result in obedience or discipline.
And then there develops a mindset that “What Mama
doesn’t know won’t hurt me” and “I didn’t lie, exactly; I just kept quiet” or
“I changed the subject.” That really sets up a barrier between them and you.
They avoid your presence; you endure their absence.
You become disillusioned. Any discipline brings
accusations or defiance: “If you loved me, you would still let me go to that
party, I promise I’ll finish my homework this weekend--it’s not due until
Tuesday.”
If you give up trying to instill or awaken their
awareness of normal family values, write them off, go with their flow, let them
set their own agenda, what happens? For a while they may brag about how cool
you have become (if they notice) but one day when they get into trouble, they
will blame lack of good parenting as cause for their unforgiveable or illegal
behavior. “It’s your fault. If you really cared about me, you would have taught
me right from wrong.”
The many excuses we hear from our children may stem
from their hearing or sensing the same excuses we give to God. “I know I
promised to get back into church, but the Pastor said something I didn’t like”
or “The alarm didn’t go off” (oh, really? It worked fine yesterday in time to
get to that clearance sale.) Sometimes I get to the point of realizing I
haven’t heard a word from God lately. Then
I notice a coat of dust on my Bible and recall most of my recent prayers (when
I remembered to pray) have centered on my own daily wants, needs, and concerns.
Funny, when I get those two things activated,
incorporated into my daily routine, God takes the time to speak quietly but
surely and more frequently. It feels as though I left God on hold until I
finally come back to continue our conversation. As soon as I pick up the phone,
so to speak, He has something to say. He won’t interrupt me when I act like I am
too busy with anything other than Him, but shows His willingness, no, eagerness
to continue our dialog.
I know, there’s no thunderous voice from the sky, but
when I tune into the right frequency, I begin to discern the source of thoughts
which come to me, to distinguish between my random thoughts and the strident,
angry whisper (from you know who) and the calm, strong words (which seem to be
expressed clearly, briefly, no drama, He only needs a few words).
That sudden flash telling you to call someone you
haven’t thought of lately. Too often, is your next thought, “I just sat down,”
Or “I’ll need to make myself a note to call him when I have the time”? As our
Parent, how do you think God feels about us when we tune Him out? Has He
stopped talking to you, tired of being ignored?
Are you exhausted, trying to do everything on your own?
Do you feel alone, far from our Holy Father? Does He seem too far away to care
about you?
….who moved?
It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13
Make me know Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths, Lord,. Lead me in Your truth and teach me. Psalm 25:4-5
No comments:
Post a Comment