And the Winner is…… November 15, 2009
article and photo by Becky Phillips
My oldest is seven years old and full of fire. Emma is passionate about just about everything, from her favorite food (candy) to her favorite movie (Twelve Dancing Princesses) to bedtime (never). She can argue until the cows come home or until she gets what she wants. Round after round, her words hit my ears as we box away. You’d think that there was actually a fiscal reward for the number of words that constantly stream out. Most recently Emma has been arguing over a pet. We’re all allergic to dogs and cats, fortunately, so she’s been pursuing other avenues. She especially would like “a rabbit or a guinea pig.” However, I have a distinct aversion to smelly pets. So, the arguer won, and we all agreed on…. a beta fish! Little Baby Purple is its name, and Emma couldn’t be happier. Except two days later, “Mommy, when can we think about getting a rabbit or a guinea pig?” My husband and I wonder if she may be a lawyer when she grows up. Sometimes I wonder if she’ll have a daughter who argues as well as she (that’ll teach her).
My daughter reminds me of me. I can also argue with the best of them. Most specifically I can argue with God (and my husband). I get so frustrated when I feel un-listened-to or left out or anxious about tomorrow, or lonely. The list goes on.
But oh my goodness as I think about how Emma’s words pour out of her mouth and into my ears, I think of how I must sound to God. Blah, blah, blah, blah…. On and on. However, the Bible is full of examples of God’s action on behalf of his people when they cry out to him: the Israelites in Egypt, Hannah’s desire for a child, And finally, 1 John 5.14: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” Thankfully, the Lord is full of mercy and grace when we are right with him. Our good God listens as an attentive Father who desires the best for his sons and daughters. So, even if I’m pouring out my words to him and it just sounds like a mess to me, He hears me and cares.
I love this article because, I too, have a daughter who “fights the good fight”! It is exhausting as a mother, yet I know that I do the same thing w/ God. He never tires of me, and loves me all the more as I seek to follow Him. It is fun and exciting to see my daughter (and yours, Becky) under God’s guidance becoming who He’s made her to be….strong, loving, and knowing her mind.