Mommy Moments #1

Out of all the hard work we put into training up our children in the way they should go, it's nice to see when they actually have heard the lessons we have taught them.


Some of you sane moms have carefully planned out your children's activities to fit within your schedule. I, on the other hand, have to admit that I tend to fall into that overcommitment category. I have my son's activities and mine... seem to fall somewhere in between, putting me always on the go.


Last week, we were returning home from one of my son's activities. After a long evening of my son's choir practice, church and my choir practice, we arrived back at the house around 9:00 p.m. I knew that once I opened the car doors, that it would not be the end to the mad late night rush before putting the kids down for bed. Once the car door opened, my son jumped out leaving me to carry what remained in the car. Before I could ask for his help, he looked at me and spoke with the sweetest voice, "Mom, I know what else I want for Christmas!" At this point, I was thinking how his list has grown from a full year's requests. As I carried multiple bags and balanced my youngest son on my hip toward the house, I sarcastically answered, "What?" He looked at me with those innocent, sincere eyes and calmly said, "I want a new heart for Christmas, so God can make it clean!" 


I tried to do all I could to stop from crying. Then I remembered the scripture Psalm 51 where David asks God to give him a clean heart. The story is to help us be aware and mindful of our sinful heart so we can see our need for Jesus. 


I put everything down, including my little boy who was beginning to become restless, looked into my son's eyes and said, "You don't need a new heart son. When you asked Jesus into your heart, you asked Him to clean it out for you so He could move in," I said to him smiling. "In Psalm 51:13-15, David is so happy to have his heart washed clean of his sin that he burst into praise to God. A person with a clean heart cannot help but praise the Lord for their salvation. You have repented, trusted in God for a clean heart, so now you can be thankful and sing your praises to God, like in your choir." He looked at me and said, "Oh yeah!" I then gave him a big hug and kissed him on his head. He hugged me back, gave me a big smile and ran inside. 


It was at that moment that God reminded me of how important my influences are to my children. These are the teachable moments when our children really depend on our direction and our teachings. Learn to recognize your children's teachable moments so we can "train them in the way they should go."