A Parent’s Job

I was in the infant department buying two baby gifts.
Two precious little girls were born days apart.
One little baby was born to the daughter of my dear friend.
My friend is now a grandmother; and we who love her, celebrate with her.

It is so much fun to be in the baby department.
It brings back memories of when I was buying clothes for my children.
With five adult children, it is difficult to ever imagine they were that small.
But they were.

A mother can always picture her children as babies.
Even when they have children of their own, they are still her little boy or girl.
I looked at all the outfits, trying to make my selection.
In order to give the gift, I have to like the gift enough to have bought it myself.

In the row next to me was a woman with her little girl.
The toddler section was next to the infant section where I was standing.
The mother was shopping for spring clothes.
Her little girl had something else in mind.

Her little girl spotted a display of princess dresses.
Princess dresses made to look like the characters in the movies we know so well.
The little girl, with an incredible vocabulary, asked her mother what size she wore.
You wear a 4T, her mother informed her.

The little girl ran back to the display.
She proudly brought back her choice of a princess dress so her mother could see.
And if I wore this dress I could be like Elsa, the little girl explained.
Yes, you would make a lovely Elsa; the mom said smiling at her daughter.

The little girl ran back and forth bringing other dresses over to her mother.
Her mother acknowledged each one as she continued to shop for clothes.
I was making my selection and trying to decide what size to buy.
I want THIS princess dress, Mommy! The little girl said emphatically.

Is that the kind of voice you use when you talk to me? The mother wisely asked.
I would like this princess dress, PLEASE, Mommy! The little girl responded.
I think that would be a fine princess dress for your birthday, she explained.
The little girl began to cry, You are being so angry to me!

I smiled to myself because of her choice of words.
This mother was being anything but angry.
But children can be very me-centered; children want what they want, when they want it.
The mother was right to say NO.

It probably wasn’t a forever, NO.
It was a NO for right now.
It was a NO until another time.
It was a lessen in patience, learning that you sometimes have to wait for things you want.

The little girl whimpered, knowing better than to cry loudly in protest.
She was told to put the dress back where she found it.
She put it back reluctantly.
The mother hugged her and assured her that she was loved.

What I witnessed happens all the time.
It does not only happen with young children.
It happens with most of us when we want something, when we want it.
Sometimes it takes a levelheaded voice to say, NO, even when it is a seemingly good thing.

We can’t understand why God, our Father does not grant our every wish.
We treat Him as if He was a genie in a bottle: Your wish is My command.
We fail to recognize that prayer is a two-way conversation.
God the Father can say YES, or NO, or WAIT.

It is the waiting that gives us the most trouble.
We have made up our minds that this or that is perfectly right for us.
We have decided ahead of time that nothing but a YES will do.
We fail to ask God what He thinks about the matter.

We lay our plans before Him and ask Him to bless them.
A better prayer would be, Father what would You have me do in this situation?
We don’t like those kinds of prayers because we may get an answer opposite of our desire.
But if God is truly God, and truly sovereign, He knows best.

The little girl could have been any of us.
God has put authority figures over us to guide us along our journey.
In the scheme of things, a princess dress seems insignificant.
However, a larger lesson was being learned here.

A lesson of trust.
A lesson of submission.
A lesson of obedience.
A lesson of patience.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” – which is the first commandment with a promise – that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. (Ephesians 6:1-3)

I saw the little girl and her mother before I left the store.
They were smiling and holding hands.
A lesson was learned.
Character was built.

It is not easy to be the one in authority.
Instantaneous choices need to be made on a daily basis.
I cannot imagine how a parent trains a child without the Lord.
Knowing that you have His Word and His Presence guiding you is such a comfort.

I know that in the moment, the mother was not too popular in her daughter’s mind.
It didn’t matter.
It is not about a popularity contest.
It is about character building and training in righteousness.

It is hard work.
It is lonely work.
It is important work with eternal benefits.
It is worth the temporary pain.

God put parents in charge of their children.
God gave parents the job of training their children to know Him and love Him.
God commands parents to teach their children His ways.
Sometimes it seems as if parents are swimming upstream against the world.

Parents: Look to the Lord and His strength, seek His face always. (Psalm 105:4)
You are training in righteousness.
You are building character.
You are doing a God-given job of utmost importance.

Press on!