She Tells It Like It Is.

This morning I went to the supermarket with my granddaughter , Grace and her mom, my daughter Jessica. We had just come out of the store. Grace had stayed with her mother during the shopping trip. Although Jessica is in the second trimester of her pregnancy and she thought she could handle Grace's free spirit method of shopping. (Everything that strikes her fancy might go in the cart.), by the time we were ready to leave it was obvious that Grace had pushed her own agenda way too much. Since Grace seemed to be calm as we were loading the car. I thought this might be a teachable moment.

"Grace", I asked "When you disobey what happens? Do you get frustrated or hurt?" Ah what a wise Nana, a simple principle. When you disobey bad things can happen. She ignored me. I asked the question a second time.

This time she did not hesitate. With eyebrows raised and shoulders tense, she threw out her answer. " I get mad at Mommy and God and Daddy." Her mother and I were momentarily stunned by her response.

How can one so young have such a good understanding of herself, a better understanding than most us adults? As soon as we realize we have disobeyed, are we immediately contrite and do we regret the bad results of our bad behavior? Most of us are like Grace. We're mad because we got caught and we're certain that those who did the catching didn't deal with the log in their eye before they turned their eye on us. Why would God want us to deal with our behavior when we know we had a right to act that way and why couldn't God see that? Too often we are as self centered as any small child as we want our own way and we either speak words to justify what we have done or we mumble them under our breath if we don't expect an agreeable response.

I have great hope for Grace since she has 2 parents who love her and are willing to deal with her anger even in the most inconvenient times and in spite of their exhaustion. I have to have even greater hope for myself and my fellow believers as our heavenly father deals consistently and lovingly with us. When I asked Grace my question I thought it would be a teachable moment . I was right but who was teaching whom?

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