Sometimes, something totally unexpected happens.....
Today at lunch was one of those moments..... I call them "God moments."
Let me first elaborate a bit on mealtime at my house since we returned from Ethiopia. One word comes to mind when I think about any meal at my house: STRESSFUL. Oh my...I've lost about 10 lbs from the stress...and running back and forth to the kitchen for more food, more drink....more of something. Along with the running, I've found that I'm too exhausted .... too stressed......and just too "icked" out to eat. What kind of word is "icked" out, you ask????
Well, since I couldn't put the word I really wanted to use on my blog, "icked" was the only word deemed appropriate and still gently conveyed my feelings. I'm not going to elaborate, but I'm sure, some of you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about......
By the time I finally sat down to eat my lunch, one of my children had already finished and wanted to eat what I was eating. At some point in this journey, I have to decide what is true hunger and what was the fear of being hungry again. Today, for some reason beyond my comprehension, the thought came to me to teach my little ones a few lessons via a very personal example......
Two of my children were still eating their lunch. Everyone had the same thing: applesauce and macaroni & cheese. I'm not a big fan of macaroni & cheese....at least the packaged stuff. Homemade mac & cheese...now that's a different story. I was eating the leftover pasta from the night before. In America, leftovers = eeh...not so good. My Ethiopian children don't quite see it the same as us. For them, it's a competition to see who gets the "good stuff." I don't quite get it, but honestly, I don't think I'm suppose to.
So...I had a dilemna. Do I give ONE child more food.....which would be the pasta that I was eating??? And not give it to ALL of them? Sometimes motherhood is boiled down to this: are all things equal??? or not? I really did not know what to do. I try so hard to be fair and equal, and not show favoritism. Yet, all my children are unique in their own special way.
I pondered over this dilemna for a few minutes. I even spoke to this specific child that it really wasn't fair to give him/her the plate of pasta when the others were eating the mac/cheese. Finally, I decided to go ahead and give him/her the pasta, but ask him/her to watch what happened when I did. Of course, exactly what you think would happen did: the others wanted what he/she had. So....as any good mother would do, I asked him/her what was he/she going to do about it? Share??? or not to share?
And God showed up.....in a big way. The next thing I know he/she is sharing his pasta with the others..........
Wow.......what a lesson on grace.......
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3 comments:
Beautiful!! You're gonna make it, Robin...what a wonderful gift from God and a beautiful teaching moment. I know all about the fair/equal dilemma - in the world of special ed there is a saying that I have heard in classes and workshops over and over - fair is not always equal - meaning that fair is meeting each persons needs which may not always be identical needs. A little easier in the classroom - not so much at home.
Love you!
Ooohhhhh....that post gave me God bumps all over! Thanks for sharing! :-)
Blessings,
Kristy
Robin, the LORD has blessed you with the gift of "openness" and "unconditional" love. You are doing an EXCELLENT job with all your children. No, all things won't be equal because all things don't have to be---they just have to be given in the way they are needed.
Keep breathing, keep exhaling, keep laughing, keep smiling, and when you feel drained keep crying out for HIS mercy and grace.
You are AWESOME!
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