You may have heard me say it - my children have been the best teachers of faith I have ever had. As I think back on all the things I have learned about God from being a mother, I see how being Alex and Josh's mother has changed the way I understand God, shaped the way I live out my faith and kept me continually focused on what really matters. Here are some of the things I have discovered on my journey as a Christian mother:
Life is washable: To quote the Hymnal, this “saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance" (UMH, 892): a little soap and water can cure a whole host of things, and what it can't doesn't really matter. Green footprints on the carpet (Alex put food coloring in the dog's water one St. Patrick's Day morning, spilled the water, stepped in it and THEN came to tell me he had made a mess!) DO come out with a bit of elbow grease. Sin is a bit harder, but baptismal water is REALLY effective. The major learning here was to relax and enjoy the gift God gave me in my children, not worry about the furnishings or the mistakes.
God's love really is THAT big: I grew up with the notion of God as a stern and judgmental father. In that euphoria that followed the birth of each of my children - as I was overwhelmed with unconditional love for these small and amazing beings - I realized that if I loved my children than much, how much more did God love both them and me?
The small stuff MATTERS: Not things like taking out the trash, but ants and butterflies and blueberries ripening on the vine. Both of my boys are explorers who marvel at things I take for granted everyday. My boys have taught me that the sacred is revealed in the business of birds building a nest and leaves changing from bud to full blown (did you know that the new leaves of Japanese maple trees feel like raccoon's paws? I didn't, but Alex thought they did!). Joshua's class is watching worms become butterflies and he announced, eyes full of wonder as he got off the bus yesterday, "Mama, we saw a MIRACLE today!" How much of God's goodness and creativity I would have missed had I not had these guides to point them out along the way.
Forgiveness is more than possible: As I think about the ups and downs of family life, I know both how important and how possible forgiveness is. I am often overwhelmed with gratitude for two boys who can forgive the flaws of a menopausal, most of the time tired and often- times cranky mother. They not only forgive me, they love me anyway and because of it all. They have been wonderful role models to me in how to live a life of forgiveness. I find it easier to forgive because they so generously and regularly forgive me.
These are just a few of the things to which my children have opened my eyes.. I'll bet you have stories like mine where because of something your children did or said, you suddenly saw faith with new eyes and recognized God's presence in a new way. Would you share those stories with us?
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
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