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A cute, but VERY grumpy, particularly sensitive, over emotional and loud toddler.
This boy NEEDS a nap!
"But IM NOT TIRED. I don't like to nap. I don't want to rest. I DONT LIKE REST!."
(emphasis Josiahs!)
More crying, more shouting and within 10 minutes he was..... in a peaceful sleep!
Even my bubba Eli sometimes fights sleep when he's tired. What's that all about?!
Josiah reminded me how we sometimes are with our Abba Daddy in heaven. How silly that we sometimes think we can get through even a day without resting and being refreshed in Him. How silly to think we have what it takes to get through all the challenges a day brings without abiding in Him.
In spite of my toddlers very confident protests and opposition about resting, I knew he really really did need to rest. His lack of nap time was THE cause of all the more intense outbursts, lack of self control and general crankiness.
If we don't get time with God and our minds renewed by His word we can sometimes end up with very "un-Christian" outbursts! For me if I don't make time with God first thing in the morning I'm done for!
Since becoming a mum I am so much more aware that I need God all through the day. I need to talk to Him, dipping in and out of conversation all through the day. Inviting Him into everything, every part of my day.
I learned that as a parent "quite times" and the secret place are neither really as quiet or as secret! I went through a season of feeling really frustrated when I couldn't get time to pray alone. Then one day I felt so released as the Spirit revealed something to me.
I had this impression that I should be taking the boys with me into the secret (now not so secret) place. I should just sit with Jesus- sing, talk, listen and read with the boys around. So a while back that's what I started to do and I found (to my surprise) that the boys somehow picked up on the atmosphere (for a little while at least) and I could abide without being pulled at too much! A few times Josiah has joined in singing what I'm singing or bringing his own picture bible to the kitchen table. I was so blessed!
God wants us to meet with Him in every season of our lives. He wants to be involved in it all. How special is that?!
When I was a teenager I sometimes would baby sit for my friend that had 7 children. Yes 7! I remember her saying on a few occasions about doing "mountain top prayers". If I'm not mistaken she was referring to how Jesus would go up a mountain and pray short prayers to the Father and then come back down and continue with ministering to people. As mums, we need to be copying Jesus and having us a lot of mountain top prayers! Through the crazy busyness that a day brings we can have conversations back and forth with the creator of the universe- our Daddy God.
Our mission fields are where we step (or are pulled) out of bed
- our homes
- our work
- our neighborhood
- or a foreign land
So we all have a mission field. But how distorted if we think we can prove faithful to them without being with Jesus. Isn't it all so wrong if we are working for Him, even talking about Him but not actually talking to Him that much?
He's a God of relationship and he desires us to love Him and talk to Him. Amazing!
Josiah re- reminded me of one of my life verses. A passage I find myself continually coming back to again and again. I feel I can never read it too much;
"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" John 15:5
How mind blowing that Christ wants to abide in us and even wants us to abide in Him so that much fruit can be shown through us. Amazing!
I can do nothing without Him!
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