A Princess

Mr. Mister loves for us to tell him stories.  Sometime he wants stories about when Daddy and I were little or the pets we used to have or the things he used to do when he was little.  And sometimes he likes made up stories about adventures he goes on with his brother.

The other night Daddy was telling him a story about Mr. Mister on an adventure to rescue a princess.  He had to scale walls and ride his wild horse through the woods and battle his way through challenge after challenge until he finally rescued the beautiful princess.

At the end, Mr. Mister looked up at his daddy and asked in all seriousness, "Was the princess Mommy?"

His sweetness and sincerity pierced my heart. He really meant it.

In a moment like that, the shouts of no, the tantrums, the disobedience, the boyness that can push me to the edge all disappear from my mind.  And I realize once again (because I need a lot of reminders) that his heart is so valuable.  Yes, I need to discipline him for poor choices and actions that are not honoring, but so much more important than his actions is his heart.  Proverbs 4:23 says that the heart is the wellspring of life.  Instead of obeying because he's just following the rules or in order to avoid punishment, I want him to choose things that give life because his heart is set on things that give life.

I need this perspective daily.  I need this challenge.

• To call out life in my kids daily.
• To aim for their hearts and not just try to fix their behavior.
• To teach them that a heart connection with me and ultimately with the Father is really the goal and is way more important to me than them learning to sit still or clean up or obey rules.

And I need that challenge for myself.  Because when we pursue the heart of the Father, life flows out of that.  My own obedience is not out of obligation or moral duty, but out of a love for the One who gives life and out of a desire to experience life in Him fully.  That is what I want my boys to learn.