Slow…and Live Fully This Day!

He shakes his head no.  I ask him again, and still, his little head shakes no.  A lie.  Inside me starts to bubble…the truth is right in front of him, still, he grasps for the easy.  He fears.  He knows he did wrong, so he clings to the hope that I will not realize, I will not know. 

He is so young…a baby still…and yet he has opened his world to deceit and desperately holds tight to a false hope of secret…of hidden.  I reach for his hand.  I want to scream and yell, to scold and punish.  But this moment seems so tender.  I inhale hard and exhale slow.  He is a babe, he is learning, so His Spirit reminds to “teach”.  I talk him through the events, remind him of the truth and that mommy needs to ALWAYS hear truth spoken from his lips.  I remind of the importance…of obedience…of Jesus.  He keeps shaking his head no, and I keep talking…gently.

But then, in that quiet moment, I hear his whisper.  I see the repentance fall upon his little chubby face.  His eyes downcast, the knowing of his sin evident.  A tear trickles down his cheek…and his head begins to shake yes.  A confession.  

I gather him in my arms and my heart wants to burst forth in joy!  He understood!  And although I am not happy with his sin, I am happy with his understanding of repentance.  In the middle of rush and noise, in the bustle of busy and chaos, humility is birthed and my mommy heart can’t stop from rejoicing.  I speak of forgiveness…of consequences…but in his ear I whisper grace. 

I could have lost this moment.  I have lost so many others.  I speed past, I overbook and over schedule.  We hurry, and we forget to live.  To live fully!  Most days I would have missed this precious opportunity to sow into my babies heart.

The reality of that thought pains sharp.  I try and catch my breath.  And then, I hear…  “Slow, My child.”  I feel His Spirit reach tenderly into my soul.  Reminding.  A tear trickles down my cheek…and my head begins to shake yes.  I confess.

I feel the Father gather me into His arms.  He speaks forgiveness, and I hear His faint voice whisper grace! 

And we begin again.  A new day.  New grace for new moments still to come.  I surrender, again.  My prayer runs deep…” Open my eyes that I will see…the opportunities to teach, to nurture these little lives, to sow seeds of truth that will grow into steady trees planted by streams of living water! (Ps. 1)   And I pray for the grace to “slow…and live fully this day!”