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| Myles reading a new book and much happier! |
Good morning! For those of you going to ACFW this week, have a wonderful time. Be encouraged and better yet, encourage someone else!
Come over to Living by Grace today. We’ll be chatting about the post.
And we’re off!
Last week, my seven-year old son hopped in the van with news all moms like to hear.
“I checked a book out at the lieberry today! It’s so awesome. I’m already on chapter 6.”
He read a few pages aloud and then read “in his head” as he likes to call it. When we got home, he read a few more pages to me as homework. It all sounded fine.
I tucked him into bed, kissed him goodnight, and went to my room. About ten minutes later, I heard him holler for my daughter. It didn’t take a second before she was in my room.
“Mom, Myles is scared.”
“Why?”
“That book!“
I went into his room. “Myles, what’s that book about?”
“It’s really good; it’s just I don’t like the front–the picture. I keep trying to think of good things but it’s popping in my head anyway.”
“What’s the book about?” I asked again.
“It’s about a girl who pretends to drown because everyone at camp hates her, but it goes terribly wrong.”
I left the room and pulled the book out of his backpack.
Are you kidding me? No wonder the child is scared half to death, and to be fair, as I researched this, R.L. Stine’s tag is “Reader beware to be scared.” So, okay. Whatever. (another post for another time)
We prayed again and then I said, “Myles, tomorrow trade this book.”
“But, Mom! It’s a great story and I want to read it. It’s the front that scares me. Maybe you could put construction paper over it so I won’t have to see it.”
“No.”
Long story short, too late, he begged even the next morning to read that book. Even if I hid the cover, the story was about a girl who wanted to pretend to kill herself because she was hated and what happened was, a ghost stalked her and wanted to be her friend forever! Ick!
I couldn’t believe how hard he fought to have something he knew wasn’t good for him, and here’s my main point:
We fight God for things we know aren’t good for us, but we like.
To me, that book was silly. Why argue about it? But it wasn’t even a few years ago, I didn’t want to give up a particular TV show He was nudging me to. I whined. I begged. I stopped watching the show, but each Sunday night, I’d read the guide on the TV to keep up! Just like putting construction paper over the book.
God knows what’s best for us. He’s our Father. He’ll nudge us, explain to us, and if we’re still pretty stubborn, He’ll flat out get stern if necessary, but He does it out of love.
“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:2
With this in mind, stop arguing with God. Simply let Him help guide you to bear more fruit!
Have you ever struggled with giving something up you know is not good for you? You don’t have to tell in detail what it was, but share how you handled it!
