Consequences are effective

Any parent knows that as you train your children in life, you go up and down. Sometimes you are on and others you are just off; you get lazy, you start believing "oh well, no one else cares" or "no one else is this ridiculous about this issue", etc... this list goes on about all the lies we start believing and then get way off track. I usually have this realization about every two months; I start off strong and then after awhile, I just weaken. I think that is just life; I think that is the sin in us and that we aren't perfect; therefore, we begin to see our patterns where our ideals don't match what we are doing.

The past few days we have been having "boot camp" at the Cooks (again). The Lord has been showing me for weeks now, how my to do list gets the priority and I forget my main job of training these little hearts for the Lord. Frankly it is easier to sweep or to do laundry. Sometimes I just feel so ill equipped. When I actually slow down and spend time with God, it is like magic. Somehow I will get some piece of wisdom to do my job. It is the slowing down that I don't like to do ( I am sure we can all relate). It is easier to just be busy because I think we all like to avoid doing the hard stuff. So, the past few days, my oldest has had some yells. Consequences are a beautiful thing. Sometimes I get so into the argument, I argue with words that is completely ineffective with a 6 year old. Yesterday, I went with all actions, whew... was he mad. Today, all actions again. Tonight, all actions tonight from Dad. I think by the end, his heart may have broken and become repentant. That to me is hard because you hate to see your child break... YET it is the most glorious moment because they are right where God wants them to be. I always think of the way God describes David and how he was a man with a repentant heart; he wanted to change from his ways.

Let's just hope tomorrow we will be back on the train of listening and obeying... I think that goes for me as well.