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Abide in Love ~ Abound in Thanksgiving ~ Work in Joy...
Live Fully ~ Suffer Rightly ~ Trust Deeply ~ Bless Truly!

LISTEN & LEARN:

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths,
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long."
~ Psalms 25:4,5

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LESSONS FOR A LEARNER

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Blessing for Blessing - Little Learners

Thursday of this week (2/16/12), DS4 comes in pretty much first thing in the morning and declares, "I'm going to have a good heart attitude today and not get any discipline!"  I said that would be great and we prayed right then for Jesus to be His strength for self-control.  Within the hour he starts to whine (the main battle of the heart currently).  "Uh-Uh," I gently warn. "You told me you were going to have a good heart attitude today."

He stopped.

That was it.

All day long!

No whining, no arguing, no complaining (No WACing, for short:)).

I usually repeat it all day long.  And this day, not at all.

The draining training of motherhood... (which I do plan on being fruitful and am ever grateful for the resources who have aided me along the way - mainly "Shepherding a Child's Heart" and "Don't Make Me Count to Three")

"I need first time obedience.  I need you to obey all the way, right away, without complaint."  This is the chorus of the day that is sometimes followed by obedience and sometimes followed by discipline.  And I'm aware that maybe this chorus, instead of being a refrain repeated should be the understood tune of the music that plays peacefully in the background - understood and followed without the continual reminder.

So, when our family friend asks if he can accompany her to a college basketball game, I'm inclined to say, "Yes!"  DS4 is really into basketball right now and I knew he would be blessed by this fun excursion. We haven't done anything like this before, but I had a meeting and DH had a project he had to work on so neither us could accompany him.

God blesses us for obedience (Deut. 11:26-27, et al.) and God blesses us in order to be a blessing (Genesis 12).

I have been blessed, my son was a blessing today, I wanted to bless him in return.

He thoroughly enjoyed the basketball game.  He was enamored and when asked what his favorite part was (choosing among popcorn and his picture with the mascot and the funny blow up guy who "ate" the basketball player), his answer was, "Watching them play basketball."

Blessing for blessing for blessing.

Jesus to DS - giving him the strength for self-control; DS to me; me to DS.  Thank you, LORD Jesus for making it all possible!

2 comments:

  1. One more blessing the family friend. DS4 was a blessing also while attending the BB game with the family friend. (love that little guy)

    Thanks for the praise to how God can work even in the hearts of children.

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  2. I use that phrase with Hannah - right away, all the way, and without complaint. It doesn't always work, but it does explain what I look for in obedience. I'm glad the blessings abounded that day!

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