Friends, let me preface this by saying yesterday afternoon was hard with my almost 4 year old. While I was recording an episode of the From Home to Home podcast today, I could hear my daughter screaming at the top of her lungs telling her daddy go away and leave her alone. At one point, both of my children were screaming so loud I asked my cohost if she could hear them and she said yes. Oof. 🥴
When I wrapped up recording and went back into the rest of house though it was like someone hit the chaos switch to “off.” The screaming stopped and everyone’s axis tilted back to normal. My poor husband. He looked so defeated. Bless his heart.
We went about our evening routine - eating dinner kind of, children playing with food, cutting food, feeding children, trying to eat a little bit more, clean up, clean up again, bath time, water everywhere, one kid out and dressed the other pretending to be a whale in the tub, more water everywhere...
Okay, you get the idea.
So finally it was my turn to shower, but not alone. I gave up that right up almost four years ago, but it’s fine. I’ve learned that when my oldest asks, “can I be in here with you?” to just say yes. I’ve tried saying no. I end up with a child banging on the door, screaming and crying saying, “I just want to be with you.” Do I deserve alone time? Yes. Am I giving in? Yes. Do I care if some Karen tells me I’m doing it wrong and need to stand my ground? No.
The way I see it is, my daughter wants to be with me, one on one and talk to me about life and whatever is going through her little mind. I’ve learned that her asking to just hang out in the bathroom with me is her way of saying “I need some time alone with you.” And let me tell you something, I’ve learned the sweetest lessons listening to her from the other side of the shower curtain.
As I showered tonight she said, “mom I’m just going to talk to Jesus for a few minutes okay?” I know. I can’t even either. So I said, “okay baby” and then I just listened...
“Jesus, can you come down here so I can talk to you for a second? I just want to tell you that I love you. And I love my whole family. And I love you.” *cue the tears*
She proceeded to list off family members by name and then ended her conversation with Jesus. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard her pray randomly throughout the day, but it always overwhelms my heart and soul to hear her pray on her own.
Listening to her prayer reminded me that if I can call people on the phone, send a voice text, or make a story on social media, I can speak out loud to my God. Sometimes I get lazy and just “think my prayers” but the fact that my daughter stopped our conversation to pray convicted me to do the same in my own prayer life. She also reminded me that Jesus is my friend and that I can literally say to Him, “hey come sit beside me for a minute I need to talk to you about my life.” Not only that, but her prayer wasn’t a prayer of what she wanted or needed God to do for her, it was a prayer of gratitude and love for her Creator and the people He blessed her life with.
SHE’S ALMOST 4 friends and though she may not understand the impact her prayer had on me, she gets faith. This child-like faith is exactly what Jesus spoke about when He said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left (Matthew 19:14-15).” These children didn’t need to see Jesus’ miracles or listen to Him preach. All they had to do was look at Him and they just knew.
Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12, “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.”
So often people think that adults are the teachers and the children are the students. That is false. And if you have that mindset, I implore you to reconsider.
Children have the faith Jesus requires us to have. Let us look to them as the beautiful example they are. Let us treat them as the gifts from heaven that they are. And let us call up to God and ask Him to come down here and talk with us...
even if it’s only for a minute.
all my love,
rach
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