I've been hit again by my daughter. Well, not literally of course, but she just has this way of teaching me and hitting me square in the eye sometimes and she has no clue she's doing it. I sit and wonder often what God has in store for her! Needless to say, I'm partial, but I love her sweet little nine year old heart.
A couple weeks ago Matt preached on forgiveness, and the same Sunday I taught on forgiveness in Celebrate Kids (neither one of us realizing we both would be teaching the same thing). Since then I've been talking about forgiveness with a friend, another friend blogged about forgiveness and then the subject kept popping up. It's everywhere! Then my girl experienced it herself in a struggle she's been having. A friend she's had all through elementary hasn't been treating her very well lately and after several days of trying to work through it with her friend, she decided she had had enough! She didn't like what was going on and decided she wasn't going to keep hanging around her and being treated the way she was. One day in the car I asked how things were going with this friend. She said, "We decided to be friends again." In response to me asking about that she said, "I forgave her. My life just wasn't very good without her."
(Here's when "Momma Bear" takes over) Really? Just like that? But, but, but...but I had to hide momma bear in the cave and support my nine year old that so easily forgave, that was doing what I had just been teaching. I don't know about you, but forgiveness is not always the easiest thing for me. Oh, I forgive alright...but I sure struggle with the "forgetting" and moving on part. I'm the mom and the teacher that just two weeks prior was teaching that we need to forgive. Why? Simple. Jesus forgave us. Period. So that's what she did. Simply. And because her life "wasn't very good without her." Aahhh, to think and act like a child....
Colossians 3:13, "Forgive as the Lord forgave you."
I am thankful God has given her a tender and loving heart. I am thankful she has listened to and applied lessons on forgiveness. I am thankful she still sees and hopes for the best in people. I am thankful that she and I can take turns being the student and the teacher.
I'd like to hear from you. What have kids been able to teach YOU? How has God used their young lives to influence YOURS?
I'm sorry for anyone who has tried to leave a comment and had problems. I've heard from a few that couldn't get it to work or it was erased. Bummer, because I'd really like to hear back from you about what kiddos have taught you! Hope it works...crossing my fingers... :)
ReplyDeleteWow, she is lovely. I am going to keep her in mind the next time I have to work on forgiveness, I hope it can be that easy and simple, maybe sometimes we make it too complicated.
ReplyDeletei haven't picked which of the bazillion stories i want to share that my kids have taught me but the verse that came to mind was this...
ReplyDeletematthew 18:3,4
our precious jesus talking, 'i tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'
Shelley, I know...I think sometimes we really DO make it too complicated. Crazy...the complicated is EASIER to do and the simple is HARDER to do. What's up with that?!
ReplyDeleteAndrea, thank you for adding that verse!!! Garrett has taught you there's no such thing as "baby proof" hahahaha ;-) I love my bud!