I'll be honest with you all and admit that this Mommy loves nap time. I love the "sound" of silence as soon as the kids are asleep. I usually manage to get about 45min-1hr of precious silence in the middle of the day to spend thinking, praying, exercise, etc to help me make it through to bedtime without completely losing it.
Well unfortunately for me lately James has decided that he does not think nap time is really all that valuable. So when I put him down for nap as soon as the door is closed he will pop out of bed and begin playing or aggravating his older brother. As soon as I open the door to put him back to bed he dashes for his bed or if he is feeling especially tricky he listens for me as I walk down the hall and by the time I get to the door he is already back in bed with a look that says "See Mommy I'm just laying here in bed like you told me."
Anyway this afternoon at nap time he was not wanting to stay in bed. When I opened the door and saw him running back to bed as fast as his little legs would go I was struck by the realization that James knows that when Mommy can see him that he is going to get in trouble for disobeying. And I was suddenly reminded of the omnipresence of God.
On Sunday nights our church has started to go through a video series titled The Truth Project. One of the things that is stressed is the question "Do you believe what you believe is really real?" While we may say that we believe one thing what we actually practice and live out is what we really believe is true. Today as I put James down for his nap I begin to ponder if I truly live my life in a way that shows that I believe that God is omnipresent. In other words do I live in such a way that my actions show that I believe that God is always present with me.
When one of my kids dumps their plate of food on the floor do I respond the same way as I would if God was sitting at the dinner table with us?
When I am trying to prepare a meal and my boys will not stop fighting with each other do I respond the same way I would if God was standing in the kitchen with me?
If God was sitting in my living room would I be tempted to check Facebook instead of spending time talking to Him?
Would I speak sarcastically or in frustration to my husband or children if I truly believed God was in ear shot?
When I am in church do I worship or listen to the sermon in the same way I would if I could see God sitting in the service next to me?
Unfortunately all to often I am like James who thinks obedience is only necessary when a parent is there to see him being naughty. All to often my actions demonstrate that I do not believe that God is always present with me every minute of every day. As I put James back in bed "one more time" I pray that one day he will learn to obey even when he can't see me. I also take a moment to pray that I will learn to demonstrate that same obedience to my heavenly Father.
My oldest has stopped taking naps completely and it was SO hard for me to lose that mommy time! But it became quiet time for her and she has to do something quiet while her brother is sleeping. Love how it reminds you of God's presence! Who knew before we became mommies that our little ones would be so instrumental in our own spiritual growth! :0)
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