Lindsay Lindsay

My oldest is a wonderful and fierce big sister. Having been thrown into that role at the age of barely 2, she has had to learn the importance of sharing with her sister -her toys, our time, etc. We help her learn this, by sharing with her ourselves, remaining gentle, insistent and understanding. For me at least, this is not always easy. Parenthood has been a tremendous chisel for me- it has been smoothing my character flaws down since the moment we brought the girls home. Thank God! There are times - today in fact- when what we’re trying to teach our big girl seems to fail to sink in. So my mood and behavior sinks as low as Katie’s frown, when we tell her sharing means I love you and she responds with a loud “No!” I saw the opposite of what I wanted to see. I was overwhelmed with frustration and hopelessness. Historically my knee jerk reaction has been raising my voice and scolding etc. It never works when I do that by the way. When I was sitting in reflection, God reminded me of a simple parenting truth. That it takes time, lots and lots of time to learn something. And it takes repetition. LOTS of repetition. Especially for a toddler but really for anyone. So while she’s learning how to share and have self-control (huge things for anyone) my role and honor is to be patient. Yes, I said the p word. Being a parent has caused me to look at God differently. I often wonder and think about what He thinks about as a parent. His kids all so different, walking different paths, all unique, all very important to Him. What does God think when He’s waiting on us to be patient? Does He lash out and tell us that we’re not good enough? Does He get frustrated and leave the room? Personally, I see Him sitting calmly and quietly waiting on us to finally understand or grasp what He is teaching us. He’s the still small voice that comes AFTER the wind, after the earthquake and after the fire. (1 Kings 19:11) Parenting professionals will tell you that if you want to get a child’s attention, you’ll speak slowly, calmly and firmly. The opposite of who I was when I started this parenting journey. So it’s not a coincidence that while I’m trying to teach my two year old an important life lesson, God is teaching me. “ “Then He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord’s presence.” At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19: 11-13