Appreciation.

I appreciate many things: iced coffee, fresh produce, a clean floor, time to read a book, and more. But lately I've been appreciating my kids. (It is a tad ironic that I'm writing about my kids as I sit at a coffee shop, taking a quick breather by myself. Did I mention I appreciate irony?!) 

The last week or so we've been in the thick of potty training. Paul has caught on to the concept of going #1, but is still (ahem) very clueless about going #2. Several messes later, and we're scratching our heads hopelessly all the while praying for some break through. Ellie has been very hesitant about the potty, so the party was real this morning as we hooted and cheered her on. Let me tell you, chocolate chips are worthy of going potty! As we've pushed through this week, I thought about how my kids are growing up... learning new skills... developing into the little people God intends them to be. I have the joy of watching them grow and encouraging them to keep growing.

But as I've been cheering them on, I've also had a verse running through my mind  that has been convicting:

Proverbs 29:15 - "... a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame."

The other day one of my children needed correction and to be honest, I didn't want to take the time to deal with it. But this verse came to the forefront of my mind and I realized leaving my child to do their own thing would bring shame. 

A while ago a friend and I were texting about child training and she said, "You can't let [my child] win.  [My child] is giving you ready made opportunities to teach [my child] to obey.  The sting of correction has to be worse than the pleasure of [my child's] disobedience in order for it to work.  By God's grace you can and later when [my child] is older you'll be glad you fought these battles now."

That conversation was months ago, but I've referenced it often as I try to teach and train my children. None of us are perfect, and some days I feel like a big failure and mess. But then when I see my children grow in an area they've struggled to obey in, I'm encouraged to keep pressing on and not give up. Too much is at stake!