Our sweet Grace is so tender and her feelings are deeper than even her five-year-old body can comprehend. She had a hard time being still at church today and came home so sad about all the wrong choices she made. I was concerned about what I could do to convince her that she was so much more than just the few wrong choices she chose to solely focus on. It became immediately clear what I should do.
I drove her to a lovely bunch of day lilies and asked Grace if she thought the flowers were beautiful which of course she did. How could they not be? I plucked one of the dead flowers from the stem and held it close asking if she saw these among the beauty. "Yes" was her perplexed reply. I pointed out that even though she saw the ugly dead (or mistakes) she focused on the overall, the beautiful lively flowers (the good choices) that were so plentiful. Just like her teacher at church, and all those around her see her goodness, her many beautiful gifts she gives. Yes we see the mistakes but we focus on the beauty because it is much more plentiful. Graces face softened, finally convinced that she is a gem and we love her deeply. We all make mistakes but we should not allow those mistakes to define us. It is our beauty and our goodness that defines us and there is only one who wishes us to focus on the bad.
These are the everyday moments of listening to the spirit that I so appreciate. The thoughts of what to say, and when, that help my children and myself know of our true goodness and to direct our path for right.
(After reading this over I realize even more. This is why it is so important to thank our children for their good deeds rather than constantly correct them. Which direction helps them to know that our focus is not on everything they do wrong? If we constantly point out the negative that is what will be magnified to them.)
What a beautiful moment shared with Grace. Thanks for sharing it with us, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing that. I should do something similar with Colden. Maybe it's the age. But he is also deeply aware of when he does wrong when he knows that he should have done right. (We're constantly on Dylan's case, too, because he seems to be at an age where he's testing his limits.) What a great visual lesson to show her true worth and her whole self.
ReplyDelete