Teddy Bear Trials - February
27, 2001
And you have forgotten the exhortation (word of
encouragement) that addresses you as children-- "My
child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
or lose heart when you are punished by him; for the Lord
disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every
child whom he accepts." Endure trials for the sake of
discipline. God is treating you as children; for what
child is there whom a parent does not discipline? If you
do not have that discipline in which all children share,
then you are illegitimate and not his children. - Hebrews
12:5-8
Our youngest daughter, Alisha, is two years old. Need
I say more? She is at that difficult stage between
dependence and independence and is really trying to see
where the right/wrong line is drawn. If I have any gray
hairs, her name is on every one! One of the many arenas
where we battle is putting on her PJs to get ready for
bed. She has no problem taking off her day clothes, but
once she is naked, she is none too ready to put on
anything else, no matter how warm and fuzzy it is. I wish
I knew how many accumulated hours I have spent sitting on
the floor holding the limp form of empty PJs while Alisha
runs at full speed over every square foot of our house
except the ones right around my weary body. Those of you
who have beheld the mysteries of a two year old mind know
exactly what I'm talking about.
Alisha has two possessions in the world that she loves
beyond measure, her Winnie The Pooh blanket and a small
blue teddy bear with wings called Angel Bear. They are
her constant companions both day and night, and oh, the
grief if one of them is misplaced. Her attachment to Pooh
and Angel Bear inspired Pam to use them in our quest for
discipline. When Alisha continues doing something she
shouldn't after she has been told not to, Pam will tell
her we will throw Angel Bear away if she doesn't behave.
Believe it or not, the threat actually works! There have
been times the blue bear has hovered inches above the
trash can but that has always been enough to keep Alisha
on the straight and narrow. Until tonight. Tonight she
pushed the line a little too far and we had to actually
throw Angel Bear away. It was tough! Even though Alisha
cried, Pam and I both talked later that we think it hurt
us worse to have to do it. But she had a choice and she
knew the consequences. It was a hard lesson to teach but
one she needed to learn.
Disciplining my children is certainly my least
favorite part of being a parent, but I love them too much
not to do what's best for them in the long run. When I
thought of how hard it was to throw that bear away, my
mind turned to God. Have you ever thought how hard it
must be for Him to watch us cry out under His discipline?
I know God would never want to do or let anything hurtful
happen to us, but He loves us too much not to do what's
best in the long run.
There are many different views of God when bad things
happen. Some think He must be ignoring them, others that
they are being punished for past wrongs. Some people seem
to picture God with almost joyful glee waiting to squash
them at the first slip up. I don't see any of those. I
see a God who loves us even more than the life of His
only Son, a God who only wants the very best for us. I
also see a God who knows that some of the lessons we need
to learn are painful but very necessary. I see a God with
an ache in His heart as He lovingly disciplines His
cherished child, a God who won't keep us from ever
shedding a tear, but is always waiting eagerly to wipe it
away. I see a God I can trust no matter what happens.
That's the God I love.
