A Happy Heart

If being almost 3 is any indication of what 13 will be like, we are probably in for a lot of emoting in this house! Lately, I find myself having a lot of conversations about speaking kindly and softly versus ugly. Instead of "I HAVE BOOGERS!!!", we give preference to, "Mommy, could I have a tissue please?" Just tonight, I was tempted to reserve The Boy Who Cried "Wolf!" story from the library so we can talk about appropriate times to cry versus minute by minute whining. I know this is normal for her age and, unfortunately, way too much the norm for me. I have been attending a Wednesday night class at SOLD on the book Gospel-Powered Parenting by Bill Farley. The book along with the discussion and teaching in the class has been so helpful to me. I have felt like I was just addressing the outward behaviors without reaching the heart. Yet, I didn't feel right saying "That makes Jesus sad when you do __." Not that it is necessarily wrong to say that. Just that it felt more like it was still just addressing the surface. The book has just deepened my understanding of how the Gospel shapes and transforms our parenting.

Yesterday, Amity and I visited Chapel School. Mrs. Cox did the opening Bible story and talked about the prophet Jeremiah. She brought poopy diapers in a ziploc bag and talked about how stinky they were. She said that our sin is like stinky diapers to God and we are powerless to get rid of our own stinkiness. He has to remove that stinkiness and give us fresh "diapers". Her explanation of the symbolism was much better than mine but Amity and I have talked about it a few times since then.

Tonight, our family worship was ended early because of some issue that I have already forgotten that ended with Amity losing all semblance of self-control. We walked to their room and I put them in bed and then knelt by her bed and hugged her and talked about why we stopped. We talked about stinky sin and how it is so hard to talk with a kind voice all the time, even for Mommy. I got up to leave her and she said, "Mommy, will you pray for me?" I said "Sure! What do you want me to pray for?" "That I will have a happy heart!" BE STILL MY HEART! I know tomorrow will bring many more boogers and tears and stinky sin but it is so encouraging to see Christ's fruit in a young heart.

"If my heart is the source of my sin problem, then lasting change must always travel through the pathway of my heart. It is not enough to alter my behavior or change my circumstances. Christ transforms people by radically changing their hearts." --Paul Tripp