Posts Tagged ‘parenting’

Cade and Ella are at the age where they are starting to remember our past Christmases together and anticipate our traditions.  They still seem to forget details of how things go though.  It is in the retelling of the Christmas story and Jesus’ life on earth that really helps me stop and reflect in a new way.

My most recent thoughts have been about what it must have been like to parent Jesus.  When you first think about parenting a perfect child it sounds really good.  You wouldn’t have to wonder if he was telling you the truth.  He would respect you all the time, do whatever he is told without arguing the first time.  What about sibling rivalry?  Can you imagine being Jesus’ brother??  How hard would that be?  I can just hear James saying to Mary, “Why do you always take Jesus’ side?  Jesus never gets in trouble!”  On the other hand, Jesus’ brothers would know that he thought of them first…did they take advantage of that?  Did Jesus always tell when they were doing something wrong?  Did Mary struggle with favoritism?

How did Mary and Joseph deal with the fact that they were imperfect and parenting a perfect child?  He was fully human and fully God so He needed instruction on how to do things, but He was without sin.  How convicting it must have been to have your child respond to you in a self-controlled and truthful way when you lost your cool?  Did Jesus confront them when they sinned and didn’t realize it?

What about when they are heading home after celebrating in Jerusalem, and they have been traveling for a day only to realize that Jesus wasn’t with them?  They take a days journey back and continue to search high and low for another 2 days for Jesus.  I can’t imagine searching 3 hours much less 3 days for my child.

They finally found him in the temple.  Were they relieved, exasperated, frustrated, confused?  I think I would have given my child a huge hug and then said, “What in the world were you thinking?!  You scared us to death!!”  Jesus responds in a way that I think I would be frustrated with…”Didn’t you know I would be in my Father’s house?”  Um, obviously not…we just searched for days.  You should have been with us!!

Maybe by then Mary and Joseph had already learned that Jesus was right and to listen to Him.  Maybe they were already so used to submitting to God in all they had been through prior to Jesus even being born and the following 12 years.

It all gives me a renewed appreciation for all that Jesus went through.  The Creator of the earth had to answer to parents who were part of His creation.  Amazing!!

I love perennials!! I love that most of the hard work I did in the previous years shows itself in the following years! As the kids and I were weeding today we were talking about the difference between annuals and perennials. It was such a neat time because we were able to talk about the principle of sowing and reaping. I used it to talk to them about what we think about, and watch, and listen to, and how that determines if we have “ugly flowers” or “pretty flowers” in our actions.

No matter who wants to deny it, we all live under the law of sowing and reaping. I think remembering this is vital to my sanity some days. Take heart moms (and dads)! It matters that you have played games, read books, changed diapers and fed your children. You maybe almost got hit with the ball while batting and playing house wasn’t super entertaining for you, but you are sowing. Role playing how to treat your sister…AGAIN, matters. The reaping may be a long time in coming, but it will! Jump in with both feet. I’ve heard that “It goes SO fast!”.