Posted by
Brett on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 12:10:50 AM
There is a little sarcasm in my title but I actually do love my two
children very much and wouldn't trade anything to go back to a life
without them. They bring far more joy to my life than they do stress
and frustration but they definitely have their moments.
This
weekend included some of each. We went camping along the coast and the
weekend was great. We decided to come home last night rather than stay
and leave this morning. On Saturday, I took my wedding ring off while
we went down to the beach so I wouldn't lose it in the water or in the
sand as we were messing around. I placed it in the cup holder in the
center console and knew exactly where it was at all times. On Sunday, I
even checked and it was still there during the day (this is where I
messed up because I should have put it back on but was distracted by
some event in our campsite and I left it there).
As I was
packing up the campsite, my 2 1/2 year old was messing around in the
van and I am left to assume that he found my ring and did something
with it. It was there before he was in the car and not there after he
was alone in the car. So, now, I no longer have my wedding ring thanks
to my little bundle.
I could react in several ways. I could
yell at him and make him feel really bad and cry and tell him what a
loser he is. I could grab a paddle and make his little bottom feel
really bad. Neither of those two would help the situation and neither
would bring my ring back. They would likely lead to me feeling really
remorseful because I love my little guy and would not want to see him
hurt, either emotionally or physically especially if I were the one to
hurt him. Another option is interrogate him and see if we can figure
out where the ring ended up ala Sherlock Holmes. This option started
out great but eventually led to seven different stories, no ring, and
lots of frustration.
That brought the final option and the one
that I am sure God has to deal with continually with us. I could hug
him, focus on how much I love him, and realize that it is only a ring
and can be replaced. Sure, I hate the fact that my ring is gone. It is
special and will not be cheap to replace but my son did not do it on
purpose. He should not have been messing around and should have known
better but he is only 2 1/2. How often do we do the same to our
Heavenly Father? I mess up all the time but God does not respond with
breaking me down and making me feel horrible. Quite often, He somehow
rewards me and blesses me (grace) and I do a good job of feeling
horrible on my own when I realize how stupid I was. I should have been
broken down and cast off into outer darkness because of my sin but He
doesn't do that (mercy).
I am glad that our God does not
decide to crush us every time we mess up. If He did, we wouldn't last
very long. In the same way, I need to realize that my son made a
mistake but it is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.
I still love him, I still have him and I am still married even though I
don't have a little circular piece of metal to remind me of our wedding
date:)