He pads in early, jammie-clad and tousled golden hair. It's too early, and he knows it's too early, and he knows that I know it's too early.
There's not a red-glowing "7" on his clock, but something worth-the-reprimand has propelled him across the wood-floor hallway, and he's prepared for the inevitable consequence. Yet before he can even call out "Mommy?" into the green-curtained early-morning glow...
In the neutral moment, I fill the space with words of life and light.
In the neutral moment, before whining, before frustration, before reprimand, before anything else, I speak words of over-arching truth:
"Good morning, sweet boy! I love you!"
Everything else that follows is kinder, truer...softened and brightened by the reality that he is loved, and I know I cherish him, and he knows I cherish him.
God tells me that my words have the power to bring life or death, darkness or light. As a parent, our words are so often full of teaching, training, explaining, correcting. How often do we go thru an entire day without words of delight in our children? I have to choose to speak words that bring life and light into darkness. In the neutral moments, in the quiet millisecond before there is a chance for crankiness...that's when I bring forth life:
"I'm happy to see you!"
"Look at you...("in your pjs" or "drawing a picture" or "home from school" or whatever)
"How'd I get so lucky to have you?"
"What a great-lookin' face that is..."
"I love you!"
Even more so as my children get older, when I can't cradle them, or cuddle them, or tickle & kiss & coddle. Because he's 15 now, the first one to stretch my belly and spirit, and good grief, he's a head taller than I am! Now more than ever, I have to fill the space around him with words of bright life-giving affirmation, love, delight.
No matter how I feel at the moment: the words of life are not based on feeling, but on truth.
And this is always and forever incircumstantially true: I love my children.
Then I can, should, must, out of discipline and practice and habit, speak the life-light words of love to them. They need to hear it, for my love sustains them, my love builds them, my love prepares them for the trials and tribulations that will come in a busy day, whether toddler or teen.
Do you hear it?
Do you hear the echo of God's longing to speak love to us?
His Word speaks bright, life-giving affirmation, love, delight.
And yes, intermingled in there are Words of every loving parent: instruction, reproof, correction, discipline...and always, always, the ever-present, over-arching Words of Love.
Just as my children desperately need my life-giving words...I desperately need my Father's Life-Giving Words.
I'm an avid Ann Voskamp "Holy Experience" follower. If you're reading this, then you probably are too...I mean, who isn't??? (Don't miss her beautful, heart-transforming new book, One Thousand Gifts -- now's the time, so you can join the in(courage) Bloom Book Club.) Anyway - several weeks ago, she wrote a post on habit. It's one I couldn't shake. The phrase "a habit is something you put on every day" stuck with me, meandered thru my mind for days. I tried to ignore her challenge. Memorize the entire book of Colossians? No, I'm too busy; I couldn't do it; maybe someday...
I finally hushed the excuse-maker-monkey on my back; threw off the little procrastination-ape, and pressed into the Lord for learning His life-giving Word. His call to me was a little different, so I'm learning the book of James, about 3 verses per week, building one upon another, that I might have a measure of His beautiful truth to light up my mind and my heart by the end of 2011.
It's daunting, I know. I resisted posting it. Cause now that I've said it...now it's real, and out there, and now I'm accountable.
His Word speaks bright, life-giving affirmation, love, delight.
Whether I feel like memorizing it or not: the Words of Life are not based on feeling, but on truth.
And this is always and forever incircumstantially true: God loves His children.
Then I can, should, must, out of discipline and practice and habit, hear His life-light words of love to me. I need to hear it, for His love sustains me, His love builds me, His love prepares me for the trials and tribulations that will come in a busy day, caring for babies, toddlers, teens.
Here it is then, so far, from the book of James:
My friends, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. And let patience have its perfect work, so that you may be made perfect and complete, lacking nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives liberally, and without reproach, and it will be given to him. And let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. Let not that person suppose he will receive anything from the Lord; he is double-minded, unstable in all his ways.
Let the lowly person glory in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field, we will all pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning head than it withers the grass; its flower falls and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich will also fade away in his pursuits.
That's all I've got so far. If you feel so led...would you join me? Or join Ann? Or step forth on your own journey of bringing God's Life-Light Word into your life. My friend Amanda is memorizing Jesus's 'Sermon on the Mount' - Matthew 5 and 6. Whatever you choose, the challenge is to bring it alive in your mind and heart, to become accountable to someone for diligence, to seek His Spirit above duty.
As His Word grows in your mind and heart, you will begin to hear His love, His affirmation, His life-lighting-up Truth...in the neutral moments, forbearing the hard moments, fulfilling the joyous moments.
Can you commit?
Are you willing to put on this new habit every day?
What fears block your desire to make it so?
Let His Words bring light to your life.
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This week I'm moving on to the next phrase, James 1:12-15 -
Blessed is the one who endures temptation, for when he is approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
Join me in the journey?
