God's Heart of Blessing
I'm getting ready to leave for the day, making lunches for Paul and myself and the coffee to wake us both up is perking--when I think of the fact that March Break is almost over. Brenda is taking Tiffany-Amber and Victoria to Tottenham where their "Auntie Su-Su" will look after them for the morning and they will play with their cousins: Katherine, Stephen, Joshua and Emily, while Brenda works at the church. I feel God's Spirit nudging me--"Those kids would love to go to the Dairy Queen for lunch for a treat." I check my purse and find I have the perfect amount for six kids and their mothers to do that and so I go down to the quiet apartment where two girls still lie sleeping and find Brenda watching the morning show on T.V.
When I hand her the money and tell her the plan, Brenda looks questioningly at me and says, "So do you know what happened with Victoria yesterday then?"
"No," I say, and she tells me that Victoria had wanted to go to the Dairy Queen and Brenda had said no, which resulted in Victoria having one of her legendary melt-downs. At almost eight, she still has difficulty controlling the overwhelming emotions of anger or disappointment. When they got home she was sent to her room and she screamed, "I know you said no, but why?"
Her mom said, "Because I need to save for your birthday and to buy you healthy food to eat."
As Brenda finishes the story, a sleepy eyed Victoria, clad in cozy, soft flannel p.j.'s--cheeks still with the warm flush of sleep upon them and hair tousled, comes into the room, rubbing her eyes. She sits down and her mom says to her, "Honey, wait until you hear what God told Omie to do."
I tell Victoria the whole story of being nudged by God and her mom says, "Who loves you Honey?"
"God," says Victoria, with a smile.
Later, Victoria prays, saying, "Thank you God for telling Omie to do that."
Brenda wakes up Tiffany-Amber and the first thing she says to Brenda is, "I'm sorry Mommy for what I did yesterday."
At nine she is beyond the melt-down stage, but just entering the age of the "eye roll." For this misdemeanour she had received a lesson in respecting her mother that obviously stuck and her little heart is still sorely repentant. When Brenda tells her of the treat she has to look forward to todayTiffany-Amber says, "But I don't deserve it."
Brenda says, "Honey, isn't it wonderful that God gives us good things, even when we don't deserve it?"
And then she added, "But when you say sorry, Mommy doesn't remember it anymore and neither does God."
And I think of the lessons of grace and of God's heart to bless, that our family was given today--and before we even had breakfast!
When I hand her the money and tell her the plan, Brenda looks questioningly at me and says, "So do you know what happened with Victoria yesterday then?"
"No," I say, and she tells me that Victoria had wanted to go to the Dairy Queen and Brenda had said no, which resulted in Victoria having one of her legendary melt-downs. At almost eight, she still has difficulty controlling the overwhelming emotions of anger or disappointment. When they got home she was sent to her room and she screamed, "I know you said no, but why?"
Her mom said, "Because I need to save for your birthday and to buy you healthy food to eat."
As Brenda finishes the story, a sleepy eyed Victoria, clad in cozy, soft flannel p.j.'s--cheeks still with the warm flush of sleep upon them and hair tousled, comes into the room, rubbing her eyes. She sits down and her mom says to her, "Honey, wait until you hear what God told Omie to do."
I tell Victoria the whole story of being nudged by God and her mom says, "Who loves you Honey?"
"God," says Victoria, with a smile.
Later, Victoria prays, saying, "Thank you God for telling Omie to do that."
Brenda wakes up Tiffany-Amber and the first thing she says to Brenda is, "I'm sorry Mommy for what I did yesterday."
At nine she is beyond the melt-down stage, but just entering the age of the "eye roll." For this misdemeanour she had received a lesson in respecting her mother that obviously stuck and her little heart is still sorely repentant. When Brenda tells her of the treat she has to look forward to todayTiffany-Amber says, "But I don't deserve it."
Brenda says, "Honey, isn't it wonderful that God gives us good things, even when we don't deserve it?"
And then she added, "But when you say sorry, Mommy doesn't remember it anymore and neither does God."
And I think of the lessons of grace and of God's heart to bless, that our family was given today--and before we even had breakfast!
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