“You idiot!” rang through the corridor of our church just as I rounded the corner of the pre-school hallway to quieten playful children. Dismay filled my soul since the voice of the culprit was my own sweet son! I hurried down the hallway (planning the discipline for the inappropriate behavior in my head) to find a group of children huddled around my little one. The gash on his forehead seemed to scream……stitches and ER! An innocent game of hallway tag by children who were waiting for the youth to finish their Wednesday night activities ended in blood, tears and one aggravated Mama.
My oldest son was the guilty party that crashed into his little brother. He has never been so eager to clean as he mopped up the blood on the tile floor. When I left for the ER, the remaining three children were given strict instructions to take baths, finish homework and go to bed. Grant received a warm reception at the ER and was very excited to have an adjustable bed with his personal TV and remote control. He was a champ as the doctor stitched the wound. We returned home shortly before ten o’clock.
When I arrived home, everyone was still awake….excited about the evening’s events……The kind of excitement that is hard to calm down, but bites the next morning when you can’t get everyone moving for school. The aggravated Mama surfaced again…..Finally, I got everyone into bed.
I then began the late night “Mommy chores”. As I entered the laundry room, I noticed a basket of clothes on the floor……the “good” clothes that I had left in the washer were now dry. My niece/babysitter told me before she left that Logan had washed clothes while I was gone to “help” me…..Logan doesn’t know how to wash….He dried my “good” clothes! Enraged by the rascal that had sent his brother to the ER and ruined my clothes, I went into his room to vent about the evening……itemizing each disaster in detail.
Later, I passed my office and noticed a little jar of money filled with coins and folded dollar bills. The attached note said, “I’m sorry. I hope you can use the money to buy more clothes.” Unconditional love……flashed through my mind. I didn’t want my child’s money, but the mere thought that he would give it made my heart swell with love.
Aren’t we all like this at times? We rush through life not being careful of the loved ones around us. Although we might not run over someone physically, we might run over someone emotionally. When we try to compensate in our own power, the things that we do with the best of intentions often ends in total disaster just like the ruined clothes. How many times have I been the child of God that didn’t use good common sense, who carelessly pursued my interests without considering the effect of my actions on others?
I won’t forget this memorable Wednesday evening. The accident radically changed my agenda for the evening. The ER Tour led to blessings from the Lord as I walked my children through the term “unconditional love”. Luckily, 4 stitches took care of Grant’s wound. More importantly, our family had a tangible lesson…..By God’s Grace….Our Wounds will Heal.
Mon, Feb 8, 2010
Devotionals