Musings of a mother

I know that this is a little off the topic of this blog, but it is what is on my mind this beautiful Saturday morning. I have a son, an adorable, 1.5 year-old son. Usually he has the sweetest temperament in the world, easy going, happy, and content. Recently, however, he has been indulging in bouts of bad attitude where everything I ask him receives the same answer, a sulky "no."

Yes, he has only just starting using that word. I know have had a longer reprieve than most mothers before he reached this stage. However, now that it is here, I am having difficulty communicating the difference between a good attitude and a bad attitude. Of course, it is a difficult concept for even a teenager to grasp, let alone a toddler with the vocabulary of about sixty words. Yet, I must try. It is at these moments, I find myself turning to the Lord more.

He created us with out stubborn tenacity to want independence even when we can't handle it. Yes, we are fallen. I see my own fallen nature in my son, the stubborn streak, the manipulative cuteness (I am told I was quite the persistent manipulator as a child), and the desire to push the boundaries. I also see the potential. He caught on quickly to the basic flow of please and thank you. The other day, he even thanked the nurse that gave him his 18 month vaccines. He paused in his tears to mimic my thanks to the nurse.

I know that the Lord is working on him, just as He is working on me. I pray daily that Jonathan is one of His chosen. I pray that he will meet his Savior at an early age, as I was blessed to do. I pray for his future transforming walk with the Lord. As the sin nature in him uses his new skills to invent new ways to snub his nose at the Master, I pray that He will give me the wisdom to nurture this life and point him toward his Savior.