WPTM #22: God's Patience

What Parenting Teaches Me #22: God's Patience

I am at a loss for words about a certain situation with Noah. A situation that happens every day. A situation for which we have had to correct, punish, scold, redirect, explain ad nauseum, threaten, withhold things, spank, try multiple new solutions, and pray for and with him about, etc. You get the point. We have laid it on thick (and repeatedly) about what is acceptable in this certain situation and what is not. And he continues to blow it day after disappointing day. And it's not like he doesn't care about us and/or the consequences. He does. He cries, he wails, he apologizes, he begs, he promises to obey the next time. And then he promptly doesn't. WHY? Why does he do the same wrong thing over and over and over again? It's infuriating.

It is so frustrating to me that I want to beat my head against the wall. It is so maddening, in my weakness I yell at him over it. Yesterday I think I literally scowled at him for the rest of the day and reminded him of his poor decision making about every 30 minutes until bedtime, which I made an hour earlier as an extra consequence. To my shame, I even shared a cookie with Anna just so he could see he was not getting any, so he would see how unpleasant his disobedience was. I know. I know. Boo on me. I feel the same way. Boo. Ugly Boo.

I can't help thinking that it must be the same way with us and the Lord. Do we not sin and sin and sin again? Forgiven or not, we are going to sin again. And the Lord knows it's coming again. Praise God he doesn't deal with me scowlingly! How is it he doesn't just strike us all dead and save himself the trouble? When I read the story of the faithlessness and forgetfulness and selfishness of the Israelites in the desert, I marvel that the Lord didn't wipe them all out. How could they (and I) DARE to question Him, defy Him, mistrust him, disobey Him, forget Him? It's astounding that any of us are left to stand another day on this earth.

As astounding as Noah's situation is to me, in that moment the Lord's patience astounds me all the more. It brings me to tears really - to think of His patience with me and my repetitious shortcomings while I struggle to accept Noah's reliable disobedience of the day.

Oh heaven help me. Help me, Lord. Help me draw upon your patience. Have patience with me while I master my impatience. I am going to need it again tomorrow probably. And the next day, and the next.