Parenting Isn't Easy....But Mowing and Swinging Make It All Better For Now....

Our favorite little guy, Luke, and I did not have a good day. We just didn't see eye to eye -- on several occasions today. It all started with some obedience (on something that seems to be recurring). Then, it moved on to some hurtful rudeness. It went back to disobedience. Then, it went to a lie. Then, it went to another lie. The day ended with Luke having to eat supper alone in his room. He was sad having to do that. Marc & I both admitted we actually felt sorry for him at that point. But, we stuck with it. Fortunately, we ended the day with him on a very good note. Luke apologized. Luke prayed for forgiveness. He then told us that "Jesus loves him and forgives him." I had tears at that point. I told Luke that I loved him and that I forgave him. I also said we WILL be having a much better day tomorrow. Then, I sit down at the computer and find the pics from early last week -- the first big "mow" of the season here at the Friesen House. AND, if you've "known" Luke for any length of time, you know that mowing is a favorite for him. As Marc's wife and Luke's mother, I LOVE to watch them mow together. I seriously CHERISH watching them because I know it won't last forever (though I do hope Luke's love of mowing keeps going -- it could get him a job as a teenager).... Through parenting, I am personally learning more and more about what God wants from us. He wants obedience. He wants our trust. He wants us to turn away from our sin. AND ultimately, he wants us back to Him. The only way to do that is a relationship through His Son, Jesus Christ. I want complete obedience from our children. I want our children to trust us. I want them to turn away from their wrongs (sins). I want a relationship with them. When I think all of this through, I realize our children are absolutely no different than Marc & myself as adults. We don't always obey God. We don't always trust God. We don't always turn away from our sin. Marc & I both have trusted Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. We know where we're going when we are not longer physically alive on this earth. Our BIGGEST prayer is that our children make that same decision -- for Christ. It is sometimes easy to look at little baby girl Kate and think, "She's perfect...she doesn't do anything wrong." Ha! We all have the sin nature (see Romans 3:23). Her sin nature will come out, and as she's approaching the one year mark, we're starting to see a few things of that sin nature. In the meantime, here are a few pics....FIRST, Kate LOVES to swing -- both here at home and at the park. She gets herself SO relaxed....I'm afraid she's going to fall asleep. While that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing to fall asleep in the swing, I ultimately want her to nap in her bed. SO, I snap a pic and then get her to bed for a nap.... I *think* I've said this before on this blog (if not, it's been on Facebook and Instagram), but Kate sucks two of her fingers on her right hand -- held in her mouth by her left hand. It's CUTE in this Mama's opinion....here's the demonstration. AND, because Luke was confined to his room, we weren't able to take a "family walk" after Marc got home from work. SO, Kate & I just went out. She was super cute, and it was super quiet on my walk (Luke wasn't there to talk)....Even though the quietness was nice for one night, I wouldn't want to do that too often. I actually missed him on our walk today....AND, I told him that this evening.