My sweet lil M just hopped out of bed despite my threats to the contrary. I was about to lay into him about listening and following instructions when he said, "Mama, in a country on the other side of Earth, there was a lot of rain and it flooded in the street and the people had to carry the kids on their backs so that they wouldn't drown. And now, they can't find their houses!" He took a deep breath and stared at me to see my response. My frustration at his lack of "staying in bed" dissolved instantly. My wonderful, compassionate boy was cozy in his bed thinking about kids without homes thousands of miles away. I am so incredibly proud of him and it breaks my heart to think that just a couple years ago, he and his little brother would have fit that description.
His class at school has been talking about the needs of people around the world and the kids are encouraged to think of ways to help. I can't begin to express how thankful I am for his school, his genuine spirit and his sense of compassion for people who are hurting. It's so easy to forget those things when he's running wild, pushing his brother or not listening to directions. Sometimes the sheer volume of words that come from his mouth on a daily basis is exhausting but I need to be careful to hear him even at his most verbose. Even Jesus told his disciples to let the children come to him. He wanted to spend some time listening to them, blessing them and loving them. I sooooo want to learn from that.
I need to remember that listening is the most profound thing I can do for my kids. I was so close to raising my voice and firmly leading him back to bed without listening to the concerns of his heart. If I had done that, I would have missed such joy at the thought of who he is becoming. My prayer is that I will remember this lesson the next time I start to react before opening my heart and my ears to listen.
I think we'll spend some time tomorrow figuring out what we can do to help the families effected by the flood in Pakistan this summer.
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