The Object Lesson My 4 Year Old Won't Forget
One of the important lessons we are trying to teach our 4 year old daughter, who has a certain flair for the dramatic, is that we must choose our words carefully. My husband and I can be often heard redirecting her statements towards a positive declaration. So instead of saying, "I can't," we encourage her to say "I need help," that "I can do it with help," or any other such statement. Occasionally, she will proclaim herself to be sick, even though she feels perfectly fine. After making sure she is in fact feeling well, we tell her to declare that she is well and pray with her, thus giving her the attention she is likely looking for in the first place.
Well, yesterday in Costco, she began declaring that she wanted to be sick. I will confess that I did not follow through with the usual. I just looked at her so as to ask her if she was sure of what she was saying, to which she responded by repeating herself. She continued for a few minutes, adding that she wanted to go see Doc McStuffins.
Not an hour later, we were in the car going home and she started complaining that her stomach was hurting. Again, she has a flare for the dramatic, so I was a bit skeptical at first, but one look at her revealed that she was not acting. When we got home, I prayed for her, gave her something to eat and had her lie down after going to the bathroom. I was hoping that would resolve the matter, but within an hour she was throwing up.
Having already prayed and received peace from God, I knew she would be okay. At various times throughout the afternoon, I kept reminding her of the words she spoke and asking her if she was ready to say that she was well. Each time, she said no. Go figure! Long story short, she soon felt better and was pretty good for the rest of the night. After her daddy came home, we discussed the importance of our words. We reminded her that we have to be careful to only say what we want, because what we say is what we get.
This morning, after breakfast, she came up to me and said, "I don't want to be sick anymore. I'm well!" I hugged her and told her that was a good choice. This my friends, is why in this house, we have no choice but to co-parent our children with the Holy Spirit. He is the great Teacher and His lessons are never forgotten.
Today's Lesson:
Proverbs 18:20 "From the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips."
