"Have you ever considered that
sharing the hard things of life with your child
(in an age-appropriate manner)
might open their heart
to generosity and kindness?"
I'm going to provide you with my answer to the discussion question this month... this one was easy to answer because I just recently had an "aha moment" in regards to sharing the hard things of life with my sons, and how that might encourage them to strive to make this world a better place. Kind of along the lines of a quote I recently posted on facebook that said,
"It's not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It's our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless." -L.R. Knost-
So my "aha moment" came to me after I got done learning about the dog that was found in South Carolina early this month with her mouth taped shut so tight with electrical tape that it was cutting into her skin and restricting blood flow to her tongue, preventing her from eating or drinking... and barking (the reason the man taped her mouth shut).
News article- link
Those that know me well, know without a doubt that I had tears streaming down my face as I was reading various articles about Caitlyn and looking at her pictures... then I watched this video and my tears turned into full on crying.
Caitlyn the Dog video - link
Then my sons noticed I was crying and they (as they always do) came over to comfort me and kiss my tears away and say "It's ok mama"... oh they are sweet! And, oh how badly I want to protect them from the suffering and heartache that is inevitable as we live in this cruel and heartless world. And OH how badly I know that is NOT possible... not even close.
They are already witnessing it as they see how their mama feels burdened by the evil that is in the world as she is brought to tears by something that only the devil is capable of.
Side note: A great article on the topic of that difficult question of
'Why does God allow suffering in the world?' -link
In this particular story, my tears started out first as the result of feeling empathy for the poor dog who was hurting and scared and didn't deserve any of what she was enduring. Then my tears flowed harder as I felt so incredibly thankful for the many many many compassionate people in this world who care and love and heal.
And when my sons came to me in that moment to comfort me as I cried, more than ever I understood in my heart that as I take them under my wing as a mother does, it is NOT to shelter them from knowing about evil in the world... but to TEACH them that it is entirely possible for us to fight evil with love, in order to make this world a better place.
Even if it's just walking dogs every week at the local humane society.
We will not be bystanders in our world.
We will intentionally practice kindness,
every moment, every day.
We will be Warriors in the name of our omnipotent God.
"...for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way."
Daniel 3:29
And as far as Caitlyn the dog goes... as easy as it is to get angry at the man that wrapped that tape around her mouth so tight... we must remember that an "eye for an eye" is never the answer.
"Let's channel that anger into praying for her recovery." -link
sharing the hard things of life with your child
(in an age-appropriate manner)
might open their heart
to generosity and kindness?"
I'm going to provide you with my answer to the discussion question this month... this one was easy to answer because I just recently had an "aha moment" in regards to sharing the hard things of life with my sons, and how that might encourage them to strive to make this world a better place. Kind of along the lines of a quote I recently posted on facebook that said,
"It's not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It's our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless." -L.R. Knost-
So my "aha moment" came to me after I got done learning about the dog that was found in South Carolina early this month with her mouth taped shut so tight with electrical tape that it was cutting into her skin and restricting blood flow to her tongue, preventing her from eating or drinking... and barking (the reason the man taped her mouth shut).
News article- link
Those that know me well, know without a doubt that I had tears streaming down my face as I was reading various articles about Caitlyn and looking at her pictures... then I watched this video and my tears turned into full on crying.
Caitlyn the Dog video - link
Then my sons noticed I was crying and they (as they always do) came over to comfort me and kiss my tears away and say "It's ok mama"... oh they are sweet! And, oh how badly I want to protect them from the suffering and heartache that is inevitable as we live in this cruel and heartless world. And OH how badly I know that is NOT possible... not even close.
They are already witnessing it as they see how their mama feels burdened by the evil that is in the world as she is brought to tears by something that only the devil is capable of.
Side note: A great article on the topic of that difficult question of
'Why does God allow suffering in the world?' -link
In this particular story, my tears started out first as the result of feeling empathy for the poor dog who was hurting and scared and didn't deserve any of what she was enduring. Then my tears flowed harder as I felt so incredibly thankful for the many many many compassionate people in this world who care and love and heal.
"The human soul has been designed for generosity. It is our operating system, our food, our fulfillment, our joy."
Gregory Spencer
"One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;
another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want."
Proverbs 11:24
Even if it's just walking dogs every week at the local humane society.
We will not be bystanders in our world.
We will intentionally practice kindness,
every moment, every day.
We will be Warriors in the name of our omnipotent God.
"...for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way."
Daniel 3:29
And as far as Caitlyn the dog goes... as easy as it is to get angry at the man that wrapped that tape around her mouth so tight... we must remember that an "eye for an eye" is never the answer.
"But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you."
Luke 6:27-28
So many good thoughts here. I have many of these same heartwrenching feelings toward raising my boys and sending them out into a world that is full of so much hate and evil. I try hard to remember that they will face the world with whatever tools I give them. I can't control the world but I can control how my children, and myself, react to what the world throws at us. You ROCK, Amy!
ReplyDeleteSo many good thoughts here. I have many of these same heartwrenching feelings toward raising my boys and sending them out into a world that is full of so much hate and evil. I try hard to remember that they will face the world with whatever tools I give them. I can't control the world but I can control how my children, and myself, react to what the world throws at us. You ROCK, Amy!
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