This is a repost from earlier this year but I needed the reminder so I wanted to share this again.
I was mad.
The fact that I was mad and not calm, made me even more mad.
If I explained to you what Little Man has done over the past few days you wouldn’t believe me. Then once you realized I was serious, you would probably sit down and cry with me.
Raising Little Man is no picnic. He is exhausting, frustrating, and emotionally draining. If I had a dollar for every time that people have commented on this 3-year-old, I would be rich.
Funny, incredibly smart, adorable…manipulative, curious, sneaky. He does things that causes people to raise their eyebrows questioning his age and abilities.
What Little Man just did really isn’t that big of deal. Honestly, it is pretty small.
The problem is that it was the icing on this Momma’s patience-cake. And he knew it.
After the discipline was over and I had a cool down time, I went to check on him. He was laying on his bed with his head toward the wall. I quietly joined him on the bed and began to rub his back. Immediately I was burdened to pray for him.
I began rubbing his head…
Jesus, You have gifted this child with an amazing brain. Use his intelligence to further the Kingdom. Use it for good; not for evil. Use his understanding to help Your people. Protect his brain from himself and any damage he would do without understanding the lasting impact. Give him wisdom to know things that only You know.
His ears…
Jesus give him ears to hear people as You do. Provide him with understand of what people really say and not just the words that come out. Jesus, allow him to hear the Holy Spirit and do what You tell him to do.
His eyes…
Jesus, give him Your eyes to see correctly what is around him. Protect his eyes from the evil of this world. Allow him to see things only You can help him see.
His mouth…
Jesus, be in his words. May the be words of encouragement, love, patience, wisdom, understanding for those around him. May people hear You in his words.
His back…
Jesus, give him a strong back to do Your work. To do your will. To stand up for what is right and be strong against what is wrong.
His legs and feet…
Jesus, make these feet carry the Good News of You. Lead his feet on the path of righteousness. Carry these feet to the places You choose for Him to go.
His heart…
Jesus, protect His heart. May his heart only be a heart for You. Fill his heart with Your Word, Your Wisdom, Your love. Flood his heart with Your fruit.
Little Man…
Jesus, You have given us a gift in this precious boy. We love him so much. Give us the strength to keep going when we want to quit. Give us the wisdom to train him in the way he should go so that when he is old he will not depart from it. Remind us to train and not react. Thank you for Little Man. What a blessing he is to our family.
What has your anger taught you?
Wow. Thanks for this. Perfect reminder. Perfect. Thank you
My sister stumbled upon your blog and called me right away to give me the address because I have the clone of your Little Man. He will be three at the end of February and has been trying my every last bit of patience since he climbed out of his crib at fifteen months old. Your prayer is humbling and I have also been convicted lately to pray hard for the hearts of my children, especially my spirited son. I believe the God gives us exactly what we need and have often been thankful for "just enough" grace to get through the day with my boy! I am your newest follower. Just reading your post makes me feel like I am not alone, nor am I the worst mother in the world. I am looking forward to bedtime so that I can read your older posts! I will be praying for you!
A good word this morning. Thank you!