PERSUING OUR CHILDRENS HEART

Proverbs 22:6

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

I was thought, and I dare to say most of us were thought, that this means to train our children in the Word of God. NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT! But what I discovered last night is that this verse also means that we as parents should search our childrens hearts for their dreams, their vocation, the THINGS IN THEM THAT GOD PUT THERE FOR THEIR LIVES TO BE FULFILLED IN THIS LIFE AND BECOME WHO THEY DESIRE TO BE.

I did the best I could with my daughters; I was 20 years old when I had Bati, and 21 when I gave birth to Ruth. I was raised in a christian home but my parents had a lot of issues that they never dealt with; AND THEIR PARENTS NEVER PERSUED THEIR HEART. Soooo, that made me who I was! I am sure most of us can say the same thing! Now my daughtrers can also say the same thing.

With Bati, I can say this, since she was a little girl she decided she was going to be a doctor. She never changed her mind, maybe she did mention once she would like to be an astronout! But then she still insisted on her desire to go into medicine. I always told her she could do anything she set her mind to. When I would sit down to play the piano, she would come and sit to watch me. Little by little she started messing with it,and she would not leave me alone until she got a certain move or song she loved that I was playing. I played mostly by ear, but I was trined by note also so I wanted her to learn her theory so she could get used to that first. With me, since I had learned by ear first it was very hard to just stick to the notes. Any way, my Bati learned to play the piano so good! She is so talented! She has even written several clasical piano pieces. When she took piano lessons with Francy for a while, she wanted to learn Clair the Lune by Debussy; she had heard this piece in one of my many records I would play every day; (our home was always full of clasical music, this is what I grew up with), mami did not know how to play this piece! So I could not help her very much with it; but every time she doubted herself, or wanted to give up on it; I encouraged her, I would tell her how great she was doing, that she was going to “beat mami” by being able to play this piece I had never dared try! And you know what? SHE DID IT! SHE LEARNED IT AND PLAYED IT ALL BY MEMORY AND DID A BEAUTIFUL JOB. For those of you that do not know the piece, it is a very dificult piece to play. It gest really fast and complicated, but it is a beautiful piece of music. When she did it I could tell she felt she had accomplished a big deal. AND SHE DID! I WAS VERY PROUD OF HER. AND HER DREAM OF BEING IN THE FIELD OF MEDICINE, SHE DID IT! SHE BECAME A REGISTERED NURSE AND WAS THE BEST NURSE YOU COULD HAVE. HER COWORKERS IN THE FAIRVIEW HOSPITAL, TOLD ME WHAT A VOCATION SHE HAD FOR WHAT SHE DID. SO PROUD OF MY GILR!

With Ruth, she never really had a dream of having a certain carrer; NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT! She has so many talents, very crafty, she can draw like a profesional. I remember the first picture she did for me; and I hope she still has it. I had a record of clasical music by Frédéric Chopin; she had a painting set, one day I saw her taking that record, and she painted that picture exactly like it looked there but bigger and gorgeous! I had it hanging over my piano for many years. I gave it to her when she left home, and I think she wanted it because she won the Hubbard award and some money with the blue ribbon with this painting. Another thing she loves is animals, ALL KINDS OF ANIMALS JUST LIKE ME. BOTH OF MY KIDS LOVE ANIMALS. As they were growing up, I let them have all the nimals they ever wanted: Dogs, cats, hamsters, birds, turtles, frogs. I dont know how many times I stoped by the side of the road to pick up a stray or a “poor turtle” that would get runed over if I didn’t!  I have so many stories of the many pets my daughters had; and how many times I had to pacify daddy so they could keep the new dog we got in Walmar who they were giving as a giveaway if you gesed how many guppies were in the fish bowl. That was so many years ago! One time, both already grown up, and Bati woreking in the hospital, she called me crying, I got alarmed! Finally she got herself together and told me in her way to work a cat had gotten in her way and she had runed over it. I promised her I would go and look after the cat. When Ruth heard me, she got in the car with me, we found it; it was dead! We picked it up, took it home and Ruth buried it in the pet cemetery we had in the yard. My children have a tender heart for animals. Bati was broken for “killing” this cat. I told her it had been an accident. It took her time to get over it. So proud of my Ruthys tender heart!

My point! I did many things wrong, mamy mistakes with my children; but I also did many things right! I think all of us parents, if we are honest with ourselves can say the same thing. Only the grace og God IF WE BOTH AS PARENTS AND CHILDREN CAN COVER AND GIVE US THE GRACE TO FORGIVE EACHOTER FOR THE THINGS IN WHICH WE HAD FAILED EACHOTHER, BOTH PARENTS AND CHILDREN.

I HAD TO FORGIVE MY PARENTS FOR THE MISTAKES THEY MADE WITH ME. HOW COULD I NOT? GOD HAS FORGIVEN ME FOR EVERYTHING! I HAVE GIVEN THEN THE GRACE GOD HAS GIVEN ME! I ALSO HAVE FORGIVEN MY CHILDREN FOR THE WAYS THEY HAVE DEFRAUDED ME! I HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN FOR THE WAYS I FAILED THEM! I AM GIVING THEM THE GRACE I HAVE RECIEVED FROM GOD.

I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU TOO. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.