Just Who is A Real Super Hero?

If your child is anything like mine, when it is time to go to bed I think his little mind just starts wondering and thinking of any little question he could ask about anything and everything.  Sometimes I can get the strangest questions at that time.  Although strange they may be, I cherish these times with my son!

Well, last night as I was telling Riley goodnight, he asked about Superman and what was he like?  Where did he get his powers?  Did I know anything else about Superman that I could tell him?  Oh my, was my memory being tested!  I hadn't seen the movie Superman in years, so I had to work hard to remember what I was able to remember.  Then he asked me about Batman and what happened that caused Batman to get his powers.  I was a little concerned that Batman was a little too "dark" of a topic to cover right before bedtime so I put that one off till daytime.

As we were talking Riley asked me, "how do they know where to be all the time and help people?"  I told him I didn't think they were able to be everywhere they needed to be because they weren't able nor were they real.  He told me he understood that they were not real but I could tell that wasn't the type of answer he was looking for.  So I said, "You know Riley, there is a true SuperHero that can be everywhere He needs to be for everyone of His children when He needs to be there."  "Really?"  I said, "Yes, do you know who He is?"  Riley said, "God?"  I said, "You bet!  He is the only one who sees everything, knows everything, and can tackle anything,  He even knows what will happen before it happens.  Can Superman or Batman do that?"  He said, "no."  I told him that it was ok to like Super Heros like Superman and Batman but ultimately we need to remember who the real Super Hero is and that is God.

As we were talking about it, this verse came to my mind (don't you just love it when He does that? :-)):
2Chronicles 16:9
"For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars."

It seems I am being reminded often the importance of giving all of my heart to God and not withholding any portion of it.  Our Bible lessons during school last week focused on Joshua and Caleb and because they gave God all of their hearts He blessed them in their inheritance of the land of Canaan.  He also blessed them in conquering the heathen nations that inhabited the land before the children of Israel arrived there.  Caleb was 85 years old when he acquired his portion of the land of Canaan.  He chose one of the most rough pieces of land available that was already inhabited by a heathen nation.  God gave him the ability and resources he needed to conquer this nation so he could inhabit the land.  At 85 years old!

We later went on in our lessons to hear how the nation of Israel forsook their God and worshiped Idols and married people from the heathen nations.  As a result of their disobedience the Israelite s fell into this vicious cycle, of Idolatry, bondage, then repentance and God would send a Judge to rescue them and bring them to rest.

How often do I hang on to one little piece of something that happened several days ago, or worse yet, several years ago.  Or that something that I deem more important or of so little consequence that God won't know, but He does.  Because I can't let go and lay it at His feet or seek forgiveness and repent I am withholding a part of my heart from my Almighty God, my Heavenly Father who wants to offer me joy, peace, healing and prosperity.  Then I wonder why things fall apart or don't work out quite the way I think they should go.  The whole time I am hanging on to whatever it is He is standing there beside me seeing exactly what it is that I'm hanging on to.  Waiting patiently till I lay it at His feet.  Picking me up when I've allowed it to cause me to stumble.  And then when I've let go of it and placed it before Him, He welcomes me into His loving arms and comforts me like no one else can.

Jeremiah 29:11-13
11'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
 ¹²'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
 ¹³'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

 
He is my Comforter, my fortress, my source of strength, my Super Hero.  I know little boys will look up to and get all excited about Spiderman, Superman, Batman and the Hulk but my prayer is that one day Riley will see God as his True Super Hero.  I'm positive God is not done showing me all He wants me to know about this and my prayer for myself is that I will remember who the One true source of strength, power, wisdom, peace and joy is.  And that I will strive to give him my whole heart.

A Battle of the Wills is raging

Well I must say that this week has been much better than last. Attitudes were much better although still present. The Lord used situations this week to help me learn something about myself and my son. I am finding more this year how much of a strong will my son has. We knew and suspected that he did because we saw evidence of it as he was an infant or toddler. We saw more evidence of it as he grew up but it didn't seem to be quite as previlant the last couple of years. Do any of you have a strong willed child? How do you deal with it?

A dear friend of mine gave me a great analogy yesterday as she was helping me through one of those battle of the wills. He is like a lion in temperament and I am like a lamb. The lion struts around trying to gain control of his territory and show he is king and the lamb stands there trying to figure out how to bring this to an end and keep from getting eaten. It isn't like I don't discipline him at all, I struggle with knowing how and when to do so and to what extent. My tendency is to threaten a certain discipline and then when it is too late I realize that I've really messed myself up by threatening and not following through.

I know the enemy seizes the opportunity to grab a hold of me in my weakness and cause me to doubt my ability to effectively discipline my son. Sometimes it takes me a little bit to realize that a situation is slipping out of control and like yesterday I loose sight of my job as a parent - only momentarily. Then I have to remember to ask myself, what has God called me to do as a Mother to Riley? These verses came to me this morning.

Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

34"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35


My job as Riley's Mother is to train him up in the way he should go, so he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6), to raise him up in the admonition of the Lord, (Ephesians 6:4) and to show him Jesus, to set an example of Christ before him and be obedient and discipline him in love. In my thoughts and prayers this morning I have been reminded of Hebrews 12:4-12

4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as children? It says,
"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his child." [a]

7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate children at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had parents who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 Our parents disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Wow! What encouragement to persevere, to press on and to not loose hope regarding my son's strong will and my inability at times to keep the battle of the wills under control. Thank you Lord that your promises are true and you lovingly chasten us when we loose sight of our job as a parent to these precious gifts you have given us. As my husband and I discussed this situation we have with our son and how it is my job as his Mother and teacher to lovingly discipline Riley. God used my loving husband to show me that I need to have the temperament of the lamb but not back down, to keep persevering and hanging on to my territory as a parent. My prayer this week is that i don't loose sight of that territory and give in to the lion that is waiting to take it from me.