Do You Know...?

It's 9:48pm. I've been up and down numerous times telling the kids to "go to sleep!".

I turned off a tired little girl's lamp...it was turned back on. Again and again.

I tucked a very tired boy into bed only to do it again and again.

Each time the consequence getting a little firmer.

He's hungry, but the kitchen is closed. "Have a drink of water from your cup", I tell him and go to tend to his sister, again.

Okay, maybe now I can continue relaxing.

I hear tears from both bedrooms. Great! Both of them are crying and I'm "on duty" by myself (Daddy is out with a good pastor-friend from out of town). Practically, I choose to care for the older one first - he has a full day of school in the morning and doesn't have all his energy back from being sick.

I go to see what's wrong. He confesses between sobs that he got out of bed to get his cup (from the other side of his dresser). I assure him that it's okay because I told him to get a drink and he got right back into bed after getting his cup. More sobs! I comfort him. I realize his cup is empty and ask him if he would like me to fill it up for him. He nods and manages to choke out, "I thought you were going to be mad at me!" Oh my! My whole demeaner softens even more. "Sweetie, I'm sorry that you thought I'd get mad at you for getting out of bed to get your cup. Please forgive me?" He nods "yes" between the sniffles. My son can be so quick to forgive. I fill up his cup, give it to him saying, "I love you! Have your drink then it's time for sleep, okay?" As he drinks the cold water he gives me a "thumbs-up"! What a sweetheart! I then wait for him to lie down so I can stroke his face. His eyes fight sleep. After a few moments, he surrenders to a peaceful sleep.

Off to tend to my daughter who is still crying (actually now she's upgraded to screaming). I sit on her bed, briefly discuss her consequences, give her a "Hello Kitty" kleenex (a little treat from today's outing) and encourage her to lie down. She has downgraded to sniffles. "Mommy, will you snuggle with me?" "Yes dear. You know Mommy loves you, right? Even when you don't obey? Even when you don't obey again and again?" "Yes." "Good girl!" Whispered, "I love you, sweetie." After a few moments, she surrenders to a peaceful sleep.




I head straight to the computer to blog about this! Why waste a good opportunity to blog?!

As I was working at calming my children down, hearing about how my son feared that I would be angry with him for getting out of bed and knowing that my daughter knows that I love her even when she disobeys, over and over again,...my thoughts went to God. They don't always in these situations, but this time they did.

How many times do we (okay, I'll personalize it - I) disobey God? Do I know that He still loves me and forgives me? I do, that's why I can go to Him, still sobbing and sniffling, ask Him to snuggle with me and feel His strong, gentle arms stroking my face. With each stroke, my pain and anguish is washed away only to be replaced with peace. Then I can be at rest.

This imagery is very timely. These past few weeks have been difficult for myself and Jeremy. There has been a lot of happenings in our church. Each very difficult. Just when we felt like things were beginning to settle, something else would come up.

This past week has been especially difficult, but in a different way. It has been a long time since I have felt unsure of who to turn to for help. It seems we find ourselves in the middle of a conflict but we don't know exactly who we are at conflict with. My natural tendancy is to talk to a friend when I need encouragement. This week it feels that the only one I feel safe to go to is God. Which in reality, that's who we're supposed to go to in the first place!

"Leanne, you know that I love you?"
"Yes, God, I do."
"Leanne, you know that I forgive you?"
"Yes, Jesus, I do."
"Leanne, you know that you can rest in my arms?"
"Yes, Comforter, I do."

Matthew 11:28

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."