Learning
God is infinitely patient.
One of my children is dealing with a little bit of stress at the moment. Like most adolescents, there is a significant amount of change going on in their life and as a result they are sometimes overwhelmed by the feelings and situations in which they find themselves. I have been dealing with this for some time. Sometimes we have good days where the family seem to work together to achieve a decent result and have a good day together. At other times, things do not work so smoothly.
The most important thing that I have found in the dealing of this sometimes very frustrating situation, is that I – as the mother – must work on controlling my own mood and regulation before I ever even try to address the mood of regulation of that child. This means that sometimes the actions that I am required to take are counter-intuitive. I might need to step away for a while rather than to come close. I might need to take a deep breath and remained silent when I most want to argue my point. I might even need to excuse behaviours that are challenging in the short term so that they can be addressed appropriately in the longer-term when the child is more carefully regulated.
These are the sorts of challenges that we have been navigating as a family.
One of the things that I have come to realise throughout these challenges is that both my child and the rest of the family are still learning. Sometimes when we get the concept we are able to learn quickly, and we can move forward with a new positive approach. Other times, it is just too hard and we struggle to grasp the knowledge that we need to grasp and instead of learning well we all make mistakes, and we do not have a very positive day.
One thing that is for sure is that patience is the key – patience with myself, as a parent, and patience with my child, who is learning.
I have been thinking about this today as I have been thinking about God. You see, God is infinitely patient. And this is not a coincidence. After all, God has managed to hold His patience perfectly in place through every conceivable sin. He is patient when the angels fell and they rejected His love and Holy Will. He is patient during Original Sin, which wrecked everything for the creatures He made in His Image… He is patient while He is crucified… And He is patient now – while I continue to take too long to learn what I need to learn to make Him happy. He remains patient despite everything.
And what is more, He gives me countless chances to try again. I have an entire lifetime here on Earth to keep trying to get it right. I have an entire lifetime here on earth to follow His Will and submit myself to His Mercy and Protection.
This is such a marvellous opportunity to learn and today I pray for the Grace to be able to learn how to please my Lord – even when I am dealing with a bit of stress…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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