{Part 1 :: click here.}
Flickr photo credit by ARTS
I saw it in her eyes on Trick Or Treat night. Quitting seemed like the obvious thing to do. She had landed herself smack in the middle of a mud puddle in her long, white, flowing, Princess Leia outfit, candy everywhere, water soaked and dirty.
“I want to go home.” was all she said.
I didn’t blame her. Starbucks was calling.
But, I dug deep. I grabbed her with both hands and speaking my best life giving words I said, “This is a one shot deal. I know you are upset. But tonight is the only night to do this. Now, your bucket is empty. Let’s fill it again. Decide right now, to get up, and have some fun.”
To my surprise, she wiped her tears, turned around and persevered. She told the next 3 houses about her fall. She challenged herself to be brave and ended up with heaping amounts of sugar and chocolate as her reward. She skipped from house to house and proclaimed, “This is so much fun!”
And so, I find myself learning from the one I am in danger of infecting with my own desire to check out. And I feel my Lord grabbing me by the arms and shaking me to my senses, “Girl, this is a one shot deal. You have the next 10 or so years to fill their buckets with grace and truth and all things good. Decide right now, to get up, to throw this aside and persevere.”
How do you throw aside the desire to quit or escape? Especially when so much is at stake? Let me know what you are thinking.
Black Friday you will find me at the mall with my girlfriends bright and early. My last post on perseverance will be right here. I hope you will join me in reading it over coffee before you head out yourself!
{Part 3 :: click here}
Ohh!! Stacey!!!
My little Layla was Princess Leia too!!! LOL!!!
Poor girl… puddles = yuck!
The wig only lasted about 2 seconds. I ended up doing her very blonde hair myself! She looked adorable, even after the encounter with the puddle!
So true! I just want to quit sometimes, and have a good crying fit but God reminds me to keep pressing on. He called me to being a homeschooling mom, so I need to do it to the best of my ability.
I am realizing more and more Sherry, that part of that calling is that I can’t do it on my own. It has to be Him through me, and this place of great dependence yields the best fruit. Not just for my kids, but me as well! In fact, I’m pretty sure the reason He called me to it, is because He knew I would need Him to do it. Thanks for sharing your heart! (crying it out is also good for the soul! 🙂
Ah! Sounds like you have a strong little girl there! Glad the night continued!
great reminder and i love that your girl TRUSTS your words, has an OPEN heart and didn’t give up!! if we could all be so brave! thank you for this sweet reminder and i’m smiling at the happy ending! 😉
All week – all month, if I am honest – I have woken up in the morning and thought: “I don’t want to do this today.” I am so tired of being nothing but mamma, so tired of the constant battles of the will with my three-year-old, so tired of teething babies, so tired of being tired!
So thank you for the reminder today. Perseverance is not just a good trait – it’s something God calls us to, and something he enables us to do. And I think maybe, just maybe, he’s using this period in my life to teach me something, to make me more like him. And using people like you, and blog posts like this, to remind me of that fact!
Amen friend! He does call us to it and enable us to live it. So glad to be able to meet others who are on the same journey of learning that I am! Glad you stopped by today!
Thanks for sharing that! What a great reminder! Merry Christmas!
…a one shot deal… Life is an all-or-nothing affair, isn’t it? There’s no time for pulling back, only for marching ahead, sowing all the love and grace we can because we don’t get to do this again. Thank you for reminding me.
oh, the lessons our little ones teach us. i always think of that verse that encourages us not to lose heart for we will reap a reward if we do not give up. the timeline of my life has etches of giving up when the going gets tough, but God is drawing me to rely on His faithfulness, especially as a mother. So glad you linked this up today!
Much love, sister. This was really a blessing to read today.
I truly think that motherhood has been my greatest classroom. Thanks for your sweet words. I’m really so very glad you stopped by today.
Oh you are one smart mama! Yes, it’s easy to want to check out – and how is it that only when we have to be brave for our kids that we’re reminded how to do so for ourselves. I love seeing the world through your eyes, Stacey. Thank you for sharing this beautiful perspective!
~Lisa-Jo
Thanks Lisa-Jo for saying this! Really needed at the end of a super long day! And I just love this idea of “the post you wish more people had read”. You have the best ideas! So glad to have linked up and get to know your lovelies.
Oh man, how my heart needs this truth! It is so easy for me to forget — “Girl, this is a one shot deal. You have the next 10 or so years to fill their buckets with grace and truth and all things good. Decide right now, to get up, to throw this aside and persevere.” I can’t tell you how timely this statement is for me in my mothering. Right.Now. !! Sometimes it’s so hard to persevere. But you’re so right. It’s a one shot deal. Thanks.
I am so glad you were encouraged by this Brianna! I am right there with you and need to read this probably every single day!
I hope you fill up those buckets deep with love this Christmas! Such a great time to add an extra scoop of it!
Merry Christmas,
Stacey