“Can He see EVERYONE in the whole world,” he questioned, posing dramatically and eying me with a curious smirk on his face, “even if they’re all in their houses?”
I assured him God could not only see all these people, He knew all their thoughts before the words were on their tongues.
His challenge answered, he commented with subdued respect, “Wow! He must have a lot of eyes!”
We moms love to give awe-inspiring answers. Beka once was admiring my wisdom about drying fingernail polish and wanted to know if Mommies had to go to school to learn all the things Mommies have to know to be good Mommies.
The reality is, these simple answers often smite our hearts with conviction.
We love to teach our kids that the Lord is watching them and teach them how to respond in a way that pleases the Lord. We want them to love the Lord, honor Him and serve Him, even in their youth.
But, when I remind my children of how the Lord is watching them…
….I am also painfully aware that He is watching me.
And I know, He issn’t always pleased. When we are disappointed in our children’s behavior, it gives us a great idea of how the Lord feels about us at times….those times when we fail…
and yell
or throw something
or make a nasty comment
or aren’t thankful for effort
or don’t listen
or don’t speak kindly
or react in anger
or use a rude tone of voice.
Those very things that we drill in our children over and over and over…
…the Lord is trying to drill into us.
Our children fail over and over, because we do. They have the same sin nature – ours.
Do we give up because living righteously seems so impossible?
No.
We just keep taking our own advice.
We love to hold our distraught children and assure them that the same God they sinned against by biting their brother or stealing gum from Mom, is the same God who longs to hear their prayers of confession and forgive their sins? We love to tell them the good news that Jesus died for their sins and though their sins be as scarlett, they shall be as white as snow. We are thankful we can tell them they can boldly approach the throne of grace.
1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
We need to keep our behavior to a standard HIGHER than we expect of our children, and give them an example to look up to.
Because, as Mommies, we know that God can see us.
Even when we are in our houses.
As I begin a new week, I am reminding myself that God can see me. I want to please Him as I serve Him as a wife and mother this week. Click over to Making Your Home Sing Monday to get inspiration from other moms who are trying to start their week off right.
Great post! Sometimes when they were little, I felt that I was learning as much as my children were! Every thing I said to them I could pretty much say right back at myself.Yes, He sees my mistakes and failures but He loves me anyway. I am so thankful for His grace that overcomes my weakness! Thanks for linking up.
Oh man!!! What a post!! I needed to hear this one. Thank you. I love what you said about needing to keep our behavior to a standard higher than what we expect of our children, so that they have an a example to follow. Wow! He sees us, too. Thank you and Blessings.
AMEN from me too! I think my children are catching on faster than I am. The Lord is incredibly patient in His daily dealings with me. His love is more amazing than I can possibly imagine.Thanks for a great blog. I need these reminders often.
I recently read in a book that it is our duty as parents to correct our children and we need to stand above them and correct them through the authority God has given us and we need to come alongside them as fellow sinners in need of Christ.
Amen!