Bronc Bustin'

Quite often I feel like a bronc buster.  I'm the buster, and my kids are the bronc.  As I go from one hardhead to the next, I picture myself on a bucking bronco with my head down and right arm up in the air, holding on for dear life.  I never imagine myself falling off because I remind myself that God has my back.  He is holding me on the horse as steady as can be, and as long as I can remember that, I can be faithful. 

Today was a day that I had to constantly remind myself of that.  Our six-year-old has decided in the last two weeks to stop doing his chores.  And right after I wrote that glowing post about how wonderful the kids are to keep up with their chores!  Isn't that just the way it goes?  Every day last week, and then again yesterday he just refused to do his chores, and we have piled on the consequences to the point where today, I just about didn't have the heart to pile on more.  More for my sake, than his.  I got to the point where I just didn't feel like punishing him anymore....I was tired of being the strong arm and just wanted to stop.  But I pressed on because I know that if I give up, that ol' bronc will buck harder next time the same issue comes up.  

And I'm praying for him.  Something that has finally occurred to me over the last couple of months is that my kids are not a spiritual extension of me.  They have their own journey to make with God that has nothing to do with what I think they should do, or how they should do it.  So I pray for each of my kids and in a lot of situations, I am learning to take a step back and allow God to work on their hearts after I've prayed for them.  And I pray for them out loud and in front of them!  They hate it, but I got the inspiration from listening to a Little Bear CD.  He was talking about a missionary, and I can't remember who it was right now, but the missionary wrote about what a deep influence his father was on him, and that when he was growing up, his father would do the out loud prayer thing, and he said that nothing else could bring on the remorse better than that prayer.  This guy may be a little less hardheaded than my kids.  So far, I haven't had them fling themselves down at my feet and ask for forgiveness, but I'm expecting it any day now.  ;-)