Sometimes it’s really hard for them to say
no to you. Why? Well, honestly, sometimes they did or said
the same things you are doing and saying.
Or wanted to. And sometimes they
were told no the same way you are being told no. And sometimes they did it anyway. And sometimes they got caught and
punished. And every time, the one doing
the “catching and punishing” (that would be their
Mom and Daddy) was very sad, very disappointed.
They didn’t know it at the time, just like it’s hard for you to see
right now. But now they see you doing
the same things they used to do, and they are feeling that pain, that sadness,
that disappointment. It’s not easy being
the Mom and Daddy.
But guess what? There is something else about Moms and Daddies
that is kind of strange. Just like they
get really sad when you do something that might hurt you, they get really
happy, sometimes even silly-happy, when you do something they know is right and
that will help you. It makes them feel
like they did something right in the way they tried to teach you. It makes them see you as a perfectly
wonderful, smarter than the average kid.
You did it. And they helped. A little bit.
They look at you and do you know what they see? They see that tiny baby they held right after
you were born. They see that little
toddler who just took your first steps and everyone laughed and cheered and you
did, too, but it made you forget that you were actually walking and you fell
flat on your face and it hurt and you were surprised and you were scared and
the only thing you could think of right at that moment was you wanted Mom or
Daddy to scoop you up and tell you everything would be all right. I know.
I told you it would be kind of strange.
But parents are like that. Yep,
they are.
Sometimes even Moms and Daddies goof up,
you know. They do things – even adult kinds
of things – that they wish they hadn’t done.
Sometimes it’s hard for them to admit, though. See, they want you to know that you can come
to them for anything and they will help you find the answer, no matter what the
problem is. But they sometimes get
afraid that if they make a mistake, you won’t see them as quite so powerful,
quite so smart, quite so reliable. They love
you so much that they are actually afraid you may love them less if you know
they make mistakes. Yep. Parents are like that. But we know the truth now, don’t we?
See, us kids (I know, I’m really old. But
sometimes I’m a lot like a kid. And I
have plans to get more and more like a kid and less and less like an adult the
older I get. Sounds weird now, but it’s
what Jesus wants us all to do. He said
so in the Bible. Check it out) have
a very special, straight from God, no matter what kind of love for our Moms and
Daddies. Sometimes we get frustrated or
angry or overwhelmed or sad and we just haven’t learned yet how to handle those
really strong emotions. Sometimes we think
it’s one thing, like anger, when really it’s something else, like fear. That can be really confusing. So sometimes we scream our angry scream when
what we really mean is to cry our “I’m scared” cry. We’re still learning, Mom and Daddy. Give us time.
We’ll get there. But deep down,
whatever comes out - whatever foot stomp or door slam or wailing cry or flying fist
or kicking foot – please know, Mom and Daddy, that no matter what you see, what
we really mean is “I love you. I trust
you. I need to know that you are you are
there and that you care.”
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will
not turn from it.”
Father, walk with our children and their
children as they learn from each other what it means to trust and love. Amen.
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