Lego Life Lesson // Joyful Parenting

Nathaniel is almost always the first one to come downstairs in the mornings. He usually comes into our bedroom while I'm doing devotions and wants to talk and snuggle. One morning recently, he brought down one of his Lego creations and was showing me and telling me about it. Then he asked if I wanted to see him build it and immediately started taking it apart....
Now, when I'm in the middle of my devotions, my quiet time to start the day, I don't really want to sit and watch Nathaniel rebuild a Lego robot arm... But I'm trying to be patient so I say "Sure".
As I'm watching him put each piece carefully and thoughtfully back into place and listening to him explain why he chose each piece, and seeing his little hands (which aren't that little anymore, really) skillfully rebuilding this well designed, mechanical arm, I am suddenly struck with this realization:
This little boy can't sit still in church or at the dinner table, but he can sit building things for hours.
He talks SO loud and always has to say all the words in his heart, but he will stay in his room searching for the perfect pieces of Legos to build his next invention for hours, and all I will hear is the tinkling sound of Lego being pushed aside.
 I will say something to him and he will have this look on his face where I know he did not hear a word I said and I wonder if his brain is even turned on, but then he comes up with these amazing little inventions that are so thoughtfully designed.
He can be quiet. He can be thoughtful. He can be still. Maybe not how or when I want him to, but he isn't loud, or obnoxious, or mindless ALL the time. He is a little boy who is growing up into an intelligent human being who has the God-given potential to do amazing things in this world.
And for a little while, he's mine.

 Parenting is the most challenging, overwhelming task ever. You're trying to civilize and educate these little humans for the good of everyone and you feel very unqualified for the job alot of the time. And alot of the time, us grownups are so busy we don't take the time to really listen to our kids or truly see them or what they're doing.
And that's too bad, because we are really going to miss out on the beautiful parts of parenting then. We're pretty good at doing it with new babies; we can watch those tiny fingers and noses and yawns all day for those first few weeks, marvelling at how a human being can be so small and still have all the working parts, and then one the other hand how on earth that fit inside your belly?! And you feel so grateful and humbled to be entrusted with such a precious gift.
But then our children get bigger and we get used to them and they aren't so tiny and they start to talk back and we can't make them do what we want them to do, and it doesn't seem as "magical" anymore. And as usual, when things get hard we kind of just want to be done now.

Thankfully, God gives us these little moments of insight once in awhile to remind us of what exactly we need to care about and prioritize, and show us again the beauty of the priviledge of parenting. Yes, its a huge responsibility, but it is truly a privilege to be given the task of raising the next generation. You really want to change the world? Have kids! And train them to be the kind of people this world needs; people who love and serve God and others, and pursue peace and kindness, and use their gifts to bring joy and improve things.

It's not easy, but if you can have a big picture focus, the "long view" so to speak, and remember the goal, and that you really only have a short time to teach them what they need to know, it does help. And even more helpful is to remember that ultimately, our children belong to God, and He put them here with you, and He has a Plan for them, and He will take care of everything; God is bigger than you and He will use you in spite of your shortcomings, and He can work the "bad stuff" out for good.

A mama who is worried about "ruining her children" isn't the kind of mama that is actually going to ruin her children.

Look for those moments of joy and wonder throughout the day...there are probably alot more of them than you think, you just have to be aware and change your perspective sometimes.

"May the Lord give you increase more and more, you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, Who made heaven and earth."(Psalm 115:14-15)

"Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on the earth;the generation of the upright will be blessed."
(Psalm112:1-2)