Parenting Tip - Eyes to See

Eyes.
Eyes to see.
But what if you don't have eyes?  Even though this video has been going around a lot, I would like to share it again.

This is such an inspirational story.  I love it.

I listened to a talk this morning as I walked that was also about seeing, but from a different perspective.  It was focused on we,who DO have eyes. As a biologist, the speaker talked about how animals can camouflage themselves from predators.  He also talked about how Jesus taught with parables to hide the truth from disbelievers.

I thought how as parents, sometimes we don't SEE our children as they really are.  We get so caught up in life and living, or we're so frustrated and worried, that we miss what is in front of our eyes.

I remember praying for days and weeks that I would have more patience.  With 3 small boys running around the house playing loudly and fighting and crying, and with me lying on the couch, not feeling well because I was pregnant, I felt I really needed patience to get through this period of my life.

I was frustrated because I was definitely not becoming more patient.  Then the thought came to me to just ENJOY my children.  I started watching them as they played, how they talked to their cars and made up stories.  I listened to them as they sang little songs while concentrating on coloring a picture or putting a puzzle together. I marveled at how they could figure things out while building tents with blankets and how they problem solved when the blanket kept falling down.  Suddenly I WAS more patient, because I SAW my boys with different eyes. (Hey, was and saw are the same, spelled backwards.  Is there significance in that?)

I think if we can stop and SEE our children, our frustrations and anger, our impatience and irritation, our resentfulness at staying home will become dissolved. We will see them as they are.  Sons and daughters of God, entrusted into our care.  We'll see them as children who are learning, experiencing, wondering, practicing, forgetting and relearning, doubting, feeling, trying, marveling and loving.  We'll see them as God sees them and we'll be up for the Challenge of raising them.  Because we'll have God's love for them within ourselves.

At this Chrstimas season, I am excited to SEE all the wonder and love and magic that is around.

Thanks for reading,
Cathy