What have you learned?
So as we wrap up our baby's first year my husband and I were reflecting on how much he has taught up about life and God in one short year. I want to hear what everyone else has to say about this topic. Kids seem to have a magnifying glass for the important things in life. What have you learned from your kids? Lessons of love, forgiveness, perseverance...?Please share.
I'll go first.
I've learned to understand God's love for us as a father. Those early months when Joa did nothing for us except poop, pee, eat, and sleep yet we cared for his every need and he lit up our lives, I imagined how God feels about us. He created us and he meets our every need just like we do our son. I imagined him listening out waiting to hear us whimper so that he could run to our rescue.
I've also learned that less is really more and that material possessions mean nothing. Our son has been blessed with enough hand me down and new toys to fill a small toys-r-us yet he loves to play with empty water bottles, shoe boxes, and my hair. It made me think about what do we REALLY need.
Looking forward to your replies.
Debra
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Debra-It's really good to know that I'm not the only one who isn't comfortable sending my child off to the IL's. I think it's more difficult since it is the IL's that I'm dealing with, rather than my family. Like you, I'll be leaving this discussion mostly to my husband.
I've learned how it is that God still loves me even when I mess up. I've learned that punishing my son really does hurt me more than it does him (just like my parents used to tell me). I've learned to stand up and speak up when it comes to his needs.
I've also learned that he doesn't like it when I put my hair in a ponytail because it doesn't "wook good". I've learned that in the morning my breath stinks as he wrinkles his nose, sniffs the air and says "What you smell yike?" I've learned that humor is really the best medicine. And yes. I get now how God can still love us even when we mess up again, and again, and again. And there are days when I do feel fed up with it and I wonder how God has patiently loved humanity for so long...
I loved reading everyone else's responses! Thanks for sharing!
Debra - this is a beautiful topic and you shared such an amazing lesson you have learned. In my years of parenting I have learned something new and different from each child. For the moment I want to share one of my biggest lessons.
When I was four months pregnant with Morgan the protective sac tore across the top putting my life (and hers) at risk. We set our minds and hearts on bringing her into this world and a great deal of faith was involved. Yet it is not faith that I truly learned from her, it was to slow down, pay attention and offer a godly love to the world.
During my pregnancy I was unable to move around with my normal activities due to excessive loss of fluids when I moved. Being still was probably the most difficult for me, being a high strung sort of person. After she was born I slowly got back into my normal routine of hurry here and hurry there, but she didn't. I was the mom who stopped to nurse my baby on demand and she seemed to always time her "demand" for the busy time of my day, forcing me to sit down and focus on her needs.
At the age of two she was walking and talking, when I would get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of getting things together and getting out the door, Morgan would say "wait" and would insist that I stop and wait, only to say, "okay" and walk out the door the moment I stopped.
At age four she looked at me as she slipped her small hand into mine and said, "mom are you listening?" as she pointed outside to nothing. At age 6 she set her heart on wanting to feed homeless people and didn't hesitate to hand her half eaten box of gold fish out the window to a gentleman standing on the curb holding a sign expressing his hunger. At age 7 she has set her heart to cook hot meals and keep it in the trunk of our car to feed the homeless as they sit at the corner asking for some assistance, (and we are finding a way to make this a reality.)
Morgan has taught me more about God's grace than I can truly share in words. She has taught me to stop, listen and freely give to those in need. What an amazing work God has done through her. I pray each day that God will continue his work and others will learn what I have learned.
Debra, thank you for thinking of this. I look forward to seeing others as well.
Mikki Hogan Publisher of UniqueParenting.com