A "Such As These" Perspective on Toddler Troubles

This morning I just really, really needed Jesus.  Yes, He is with me all the time as He is with all believers, but today I needed more of Him.  I think my heart was more than a little dehydrated of the Living Water, and I found myself in need of the red letter section, the Gospel, Jesus' living words.  The living words of Jesus provide the wisdom we need to deal with personal conflicts ... and, in my case, the terrible two's.

Lately, I have felt so defeated in dealing with my temperamental toddler.  I have needed a refreshed view of my little girl; I've needed to see her through God's perspective and wisdom.  In need of direction, I found myself opening up my Bible to Matthew, chapter eighteen, where Jesus explains the Kingdom of Heaven, and chapter nineteen, where He reminds the disciples of children's importance in God's eyes.

Jesus words in Matthew 18:4 came down on me like a sonic boom: "Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven."  A few years ago, I read a devotional in Oswald Chamber's My Utmost for His Highest explaining the heart-exposing depth of interpersonal conflicts.  Chambers explained that most of the time our struggles with others are God's way of revealing our own struggles with Him.  I found myself relating Matthew 18:4 and Chamber's concept to my own frustration with my fussy, two year old girl.  That's when I asked myself, "Besides providing for her physical needs, have I been nurturing her precious, little heart?"  This self-assessment revealed to me that I've been pushing her aside so that I can concentrate on my projects, goals and needs.  Again, boom!  My daughter's tantrums and stubbornness could be a somewhat direct response to my selfish parenting.  Not only that, my struggle with her outward displays of frustration and insubordination may be God's way of revealing the same flaws that lay hidden within my heart.

Looking for further direction, I jumped over to Matthew 19:13-15.  In verse fourteen, Jesus tells the disciples, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  This is a strong, two-fold statement.  First, Jesus points out God's heart for children ... to Him, they come first.  Secondly, Jesus reconfirms children's rank in God's kingdom ... they come first.  Ultimately, if children are such a priority for the Lord, children need to be our first priority.  This tells me that my child should trump busyness and self-importance in my life.

I've decided to make February a month-long self-assessment, which I'm calling my Such As These Challenge.  I'm going to be seeking the Lord in a very specific way: my parenting in relation to my relationship with Him.  I am asking the Lord to make me a more intuitive parent.  I've got the physical needs pretty much down, but I want to become more intuitive to my child's needs of the heart.  My first lesson: Hana has been watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for the last 30ish minutes while I've been writing ... so the tv and the computer are going off and I'm spending time with my girl!