Bob the Builder Bedtime Prayers

Hi friends! Yes, I am still here.  I have had 4-5 people recently ask me probing questions about the possibility of being too busy… Yes! I know.  I know it is true.  I feel like things are whirling right now–upcoming teaching, a ton of ministry commitments, you get the picture. It’s all wonderful, but I am considering re-reading that book on Margin that I did the series on last year. I need more Margin in my life!

Tonight’s sermon was awesome, and I really want to share it with you, so that will come tomorrow. The other reason I’ve been silent is that I’m studying to teach again for Bible study and I feel like all the life lessons God is showing me all center on humility (read: this has been a humiliating week) but I’m not ready to share yet.  I’ll probably post notes and thoughts once the study is over.

The other reason is that I feel like on top of everything, the training of my son has been all-consuming.  I feel like I need three of me just to devote to him full time.  He is so wonderful and absolutely exhausting at the same time.  How does he do it?  High highs and low lows.  Here’s tonight:  It was the worst of the worst.  He was good at church, but when we arrived home the moment we walked in the door it all went sour.  He contradicted everything. Nothing was right.  Everything was  whine.  Before Jeff even got home we’d already had several -panks.  After the bath we’re going to bed and gets worse.  Daddy takes over and I go to cool off I am so frustrated, and changing the sheets in our room just to give me something to do with my hands so I don’t tear out my hair and so I can pray. Then I begin mentally writing out an imaginary letter to Joy, explaining that I’m resigning from any involvement in women’s ministry because my son is obviously out of control and I’m therefore unfit to be used in any sort of ministry in any way shape or form.

Finally, Jeff comes in with the Daddy -pank, and by some miracle, Dutch finally breaks.  He lies still while we put on jammies, and then we cuddle up under his blankets to read a book.  After the Little Red Hen, I tell him I’m going to pray and he says he wants to too.  I kiss his cheeks a thousand times and smell his precious puppy breath. How can be so sweet now?  How can he go from monster to angel in 30 seconds?  And then he prays(keep in mind he usually only thanks God for trucks and toys):  “Dada God, kant nu for Daddy, and Mommy, and Dutch, and Heidi, and Luke (random! A friend of ours who Dutch adores).  Dada God, please … me (that’s pretty accurate, I’d say. I usually want God to just please me too!).  BOB THE BUILDER! Can we fix it?! BOB THE BUILDER! Yes we can!!”  Yes, the prayer broke out in song praising Bob the Builder.  Jeff and I were at that point hysterical, trying to muffle our laughs into the quilt.  Dutch heard us, “What you doing?” he asks and burst out in laughter.  As I leave the room he curls up without a fuss and settles in to sleep.

I tell you, this parenting stuff is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And he’s only 2!  No, I’m not stepping away from women’s ministry, although it’s funny after we walked downstairs Jeff said he was thinking the same thing–that he needed to resign from being a pastor if he can’t even control his 2-year-old son.  Sheesh.  I guess the lesson for us is we just have to stick with it until that little boy of ours breaks.  His will is so strong, I guess we have to persevere and somehow hold out just one time more than he does.  More grace, God!

And more later–just had to share Dutch’s prayer for the night.  Gotta love Bob the Builder.