Example of a Child

Many times when Will wakes up from his afternoon nap, he is extremely grumpy. This particular day was especially bad. He didn't want to be held, he didn't want to be put down, he refused to eat, nothing was even helping slightly. He was crying so hard that he was having trouble catching his breath, which is pretty unusual.

It had been "one of those" days. It seemed like the goal of the universe was to see how quickly we could get Bobbi into a straight jacket. And trust me, I was just about there. I was out of every motherly quality I  should possess and had turned into a short-tempered, mean person. And poor Will was bearing the brunt of my moodiness.

After ignoring his screaming for quite some time, I noticed that he was looking towards our Christus statue and reaching out for it. I decided to grab it down for him to see what he would do.

 I have NEVER seen such an immediate change come over someone. The second I put the statue of Christ next to Will, a huge smile lit up his face. He was so happy and excited to see Jesus.

He also loves to hug and and would carry it everywhere if I let him.

It was really touching and sweet to me to see how much he loved that statue. When he was upset and needing a friend, needing comfort, one of the first places he turned was to Christ.

In that moment, as I was watching Will get really excited and talking to the statue, it really hit me how much I am lacking and how much more I should be doing for my child. Having that image of Christ more visible really encouraged me to be more kind and patient with Will. I want to be more like Him. How would He have acted only minutes earlier while Will was throwing a fit and screaming uncontrollably. I'm not sure exactly, but I can guarantee you that he would have responded with LOVE. 

If someone were asked that same question about me, they would probably say something along the lines of: She would get upset, leave him alone crying, tell him to stop, ignore him, etc. But that is not how I want to be. And that is not how I want others to see me react in difficult situations.

I would want their answer to be the same. Bobbi would respond by showing love, doing service, or something along those lines. I want to be thought of as being patient (no matter what) and not letting anything let my temper loose.

Will can definitely be a little pill sometimes, and he loves pushing me as close to my limits as I can go. But when it comes right down to it, he is such a sweet little boy and has such an amazing capacity for love.

He deserves nothing but unconditional love in return. It is something I definitely need to improve on. When I get in those tough situations and I don't think I can take anymore, that is when I can follow the example of my boy and turn to my Father in Heaven. He will comfort me and help me through the difficult times.

Thank you for the reminder, Will.