So, I read that book that Pastor Chris gave me. You know what, if my “yes” was yes and my “no” was no, Hunter might have behaved a little bit better. Instead of me training him, he had me trained! If he could whine enough, run far enough, delay enough, negotiate enough, beg enough, then guess what? I’d give in to whatever he didn’t need.

Number Two Nugget-Stop Lying:

Stop lying to yourself, to each other, to your kids. We gotta stop. For one, it’s a sin to lie. But two, it’s giving mixed signals. To everyone.

The word abomination is a rough one, huh? Not a word we use on the daily. But just so we are clear about its meaning, it’s defined as a “thing that causes disgust or hatred”. WOW. I definitely don’t want to be that to my Lord, who gave His Only Son for me. I would much rather be the second part of that verse. To be a delight to God, I must act faithfully. My “yes” must be yes, and my “no” must be no. There is no Reverse Card to play here.

I sat Hunter down, cried with him, prayed with him, and apologized to him. I was not being the mom God wanted me to be for him, and it hurt. It hurt me that I had let God and him down. I told Hunter that I was going to do my best to be who God created me to be because my job as his parent was to train him to listen to God, and if he couldn’t listen to me, then I wasn’t helping him. I told him if I said something, I meant it. Did he test me? Lord have mercy, yes, he did. Was it hard? Yes, it was. Did he get trained? Yes, he did. Did we both survive? Yes, we did. It boggled my noggin that Hunter turned into a happier kid because he felt safe. I had no idea that Hunter, at the age of 3, could see and feel the difference when Mom’s word could be trusted.

I find comfort knowing God’s Word is true. I know without a doubt I can trust Him. I’m thankful God has been a safe place for me since I was six months pregnant with Hunter. My life changed when I finally stopped running in circles and found rest in Him and His love. I’m so thankful I have a loving Father who never changes. Whose “yes” is yes and “no” is no.

My prayer for today is that my words will be true and that I will be honest with myself and with others. My prayer today is that I act faithfully and am a delight to my Heavenly Father.