I Realized Something Today

Today I realized that there is a way to get my daughter to obey me on the first try (well, most of the time). Are you ready for this? It's called "Do not give her any other options". For example, after we got home from a long day today I had my hands full and could not get Ava to go inside the house before our alarm would go off (which has happened several times before in the past, our neighbors must hate us). I kept saying, "Ava, can you please go inside honey?" Her answer was simple. No. This went on for a bit and the alarm was beeping really fast by this point, screaming at me to turn it off. Finally after awhile I said "Ava you go inside right now, or else you will have a time out". She said okay and walked inside. It was then that I realized I give her way too much control over decision making. If you give children the chance, they will always push their boundaries (more often than not). I read this book (can't recall the name of it for the life of me) and one of the chapters clicked into my mind today. It talked about giving your child 2 options, and 2 options only when you are trying to get them to do something. For instance, if we are getting ready for bed, I can say.... "Ava, would you like to go to bed right now or in 2 minutes". She always chooses the 2 minute option (of course). Children are so predictable. However, after the 2 minutes are up, she will go straight to bed. Now, if I were to say "Ava, it's time for bed, let's go upstairs" she would throw a tantrum. Okay, I know it's not rocket science but I literally did not realize until today that one of the reasons she doesn't obey me as much as I would like her to is because I ask her to do something, rather than tell her to do something and sometimes forfeiting the consequences afterwards (okay all you mom's out there, how many times have you threatened to give a time out and not follow through at the end). I am guilty as charged more often than not.



Wouldn't it be great if God did this in our spiritual lives? Wouldn't it be wonderful if he laid it out there on the table for us, so his plan for our life was crystal clear? Well, he does. But if you are anything like me, you will push your boundaries and try to take the easy way out so we can do it our way, the easier way. I know that I was born to be a mother and wife, but my more important role is raising a family that will lead others to Christ. We are all children of God, and we need to obey him just as we want our children to obey us. Sometimes this can be a simple decision or a life altering one.



I was talking to my friend Erin a couple of weeks ago about her and her husbands decision to leave their lives and family in California to move up here and help start Pathway's Church. I love hearing people's stories, and hers is a great one. I was trying to figure out how she knew that God was calling them to Seattle. It really got me thinking. Usually what He wants me to do is not what I want to hear. Sometimes I feel as though he is asking me to do something, rather than telling me to do something. Or maybe he is giving me 2 options, and I am choosing the option he didn't want me to. We know what he wants us to do, but we try to choose another way out, the easier way out. I am the type of person who would read the last chaper in a book first, just so that I knew how it ended before I committed the time to read it. There is just something that all of us love about immediate gratification in today's age. I put 110% into being a good mom and wife, but I really need to put in the extra effort with my faith and in trusing him too. How do I expect my daughter to obey me on the first command, when I am asking God for my alternative option as well?