I Fail...God Never Fails

"We are a word-formed people. Our children are word-formed people. We as mothers must be very careful what we speak into our children. They will become what we speak into their lives. Our words will determine the course of their destiny - for greatness or for destruction. Children will shrivel up with negative words or they will thrive on our encouragement. As they grow, we will reap the reward of the words we have continually spoken into them".

These wonderful words, penned by Nancy Campbell in her excellent book "The Power of Motherhood" I read recently one morning before everyone else was awake. I intended to let the words sink in and to take heed...but...

Here's what I did just a short while later - I snapped - at bad behavior consisting of non- immediate obedience and proceeded to pour out a vile tirade on all of my precious treasures. Quite a tongue-lashing, blame session it was, resulting in tears and confusion and one little boy simply unable to think at all. If you can't imagine how mean I can be- ask my family. They, being full of God's love and quite resilient have forgiven me and probably wouldn't want to disclose my sin, but would at least agree that I can be quite mean.

I had to abandon the school table, go away and cry and seek God...again. Naturally He brought back what He had given me already that morning. So it was that I needed to and did apologize to my family.

What I really want to teach them is Jesus; to be like Him, love like Him and walk like Him. But sometimes, admittedly far too often, I get a full head of steam concerning all that must be done and how I intend to do it and full of my own thoughts- "There is a way that seemeth right to a man, but the end thereof are ways of death" Proverbs 14:12. My gracious God, because I am leaning on my own strength rather than His arms, does the loving thing and lets me fall. It from this position that I can look up. And so I do and always He forgives, strengthens, binds up and renews.

It is not the fault of my children that they do not respond obediently to me. That is my fault and a result of me not responding promptly to my Father, God. All of the times that I have: ignored their disobedience, felt too busy or too lazy to address their behavior, looked the other way because discipling children is never "fun" ...I was not obeying the one to whom I am responsible. I'm the one who deserved the raging tirade, not them.

Thanks be to God, whose mercies are always new, I was able to go back, apologize and let Him redeem the time that day.