choosing our children

i enjoyed listening to the wise man's wife as well!

that would be denise, from the marriage conference. i loved this story she told. when her daughter was only four years old, denise was at a very low point, truly a giving-up point. her daughter thought SHE was the mother, instead of denise. after yet another conflict, she placed her daughter in her room and then went to talk with God (this is my interpretation of her story, you must realize, not an exact word for word).

the Lord told her to go back into her daughter's room to whom she had nothing else to say. she had no more ideas, no more tricks up her sleeve. but she obediently went anyway. when she got there, her sweet but stubborn child was lying on her bed under her covers, face peaking out.

out of denise's mouth came what she knew were not her comforting words and could only be the Lord's. "honey, if i lined up all the four year old little girls in our neighborhood and all the four year old little girls in your school, all the four year old little ones in our city and all the four year old little girls all around the whole wide world, i'd still pick YOU as my little girl."

her daughter rushed into her arms, burst into tears and that was the breakthrough that their long tension filled relationship needed. denise even went on to say they NEVER had another fight over who was the mama again.

denise said that her daughter was looking to know who was in charge and how much her mama loved her. did she love her enough to stand up to her, to be in control, to care for her and TO LOVE HER NO MATTER HOW NAUGHTY (my words, not hers) SHE WAS? isn't that just how it is with God? don't we want to know how much He loves us, which He does, no matter what?

i'm looking for the right time to tell my favorite son and my favorite daughter this very thing. i can't wait.