Thursday, October 19, 2006

What is wrong?

I have an eight year old daughter who is mostly very happy and upbeat but sometimes there is something wrong. I can just tell by the way that she is walking. The way she is holding her head. The way she moves her arms or sits in the chair. Something has made her sad or unhappy or hurt her feelings. She also tends to worry about things. I mean really worry about things. I, as her mother, know that if she does not talk about what ever is bothering her she will become a very melancholy girl. So I then ask the question "what is wrong?" She will then cry and do everything but tell me what is wrong for about 20 min. This then causes me to loose my patience because I do have four children and can not stand there all day while she will not answer a simple question. She is a perfectly normal girl and very smart but when it comes to her talking about he emotions it becomes completely impossible. Usually I can not even understand her because of all of the crying she is doing. When the whole ordeal is over it turns out that she was making her self crazy over something that was so minor and insignificant. My husband and I try to have patience with her but it is very hard. Her little worrying habits can just about take over the whole household if I do not keep a tight reign on them. I think that some times she is using it as a way to get a little attention from my husband and me.

I am sure that often times, in our sinful nature, we will bring many meaningless worries to our Father in heaven. He is the ever patient Father. Always there for us and always providing for us. We need to never worry because He will always give us all we need to support this body and life. Yet, despite this, we worry. We through our sins at God and wonder if they can really be forgiven. His answer will always be a resounding YES! In our darkest days he will forgive us. Some of you may be asking why? The reason is because he said so. Yes I am forgiven because He said I was. He spoke forgiveness at baptisms as a wee baby, and he speaks forgiveness every time He feeds me at the Lord's supper. He speaks these words of forgiveness in the prayer he gave us. The Lord's Prayer. To the free gift of forgiveness, all I can say is amen.

2 comments:

Barb the Evil Genius said...

This sounds so much like me! I have a very difficult time expressing things that are wrong with me, even to my husband. I especially have a problem when I am hit with a direct question, like "What's wrong?" For me, it is easier to bring up things I am upset about just during normal times with my husband. Like when we're both sitting in the family room in the evening, watching television or doing something on or laptops. :) Gradually, things I have been thinking about come out.

Genuine Lustre said...

This sounds like a great parenting dilemma, but like you said, Lutheranism offers the best solution.