When my daughter was ill, I had to take a day off to take care of her. It’s quite distressing really, that for a child with eczema having fever or any other illness, seems to trigger more scratching. I did the basic taking care – meals, shower, medicine, moisturizing and then playing with her like jig saw puzzle, painting and balloon. For most of the time I’m thinking to myself that I wouldn’t make it as a homeschooling mom, or stay-at-home mom, I’d be very tempted to entertain my child with TV so that I can work on my own projects.
It then dawned on me that I might have stopped trying to get closer to my child on some level, why else would I not want to spend time with her?
It is the same as my relationship with God – I was confronted by my sisters in Christ that in the midst of my doing, whether I was loving God. Frankly, loving is not easy – doing is much easier, more execution-able in my systematic mind. Yet to do things for someone without growing closer to that person doesn’t seem to make much sense. Jesus’ commandment is clear – to love God and to love others. Not to do things, after all that’s hardly his modus-operandi – salvation is given to us, not something we need to earn/work for.
I do pray that in the course of doing things (which I surely have to do cos being idle is just not me!), God will be merciful and be close to me just from me wanting to be close to Him (even if I don’t know how!). Same thing with my family, in the midst of caring for child and household, it is easy to forget to really love.
Bible verse:
Mark 12:30-31 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.There is no other commandment greater than these.
Dear God, thank you for always being with us. Help me to want to be with You and help us parents to draw close to our children daily.
Grow Closer, not just Do More