Lessons Learned

This morning we had the opportunity to take Micah to a VBS at a local church.  Our church is not doing one, and we thought it would be the perfect thing to "spice things up".  (Not that our house is boring!)  


So we decided pretty last minute, and Micah just freaked out.  He didn't want to go, he cried, he delayed getting dressed, he just kept saying over and over he didn't want to go.  Insert internal struggle in this mommy!


It absolutely broke my heart to see how he was feeling.  A different church with different people, and quite possibly no one he knew.  Instantly memories flooded back to when I was a kid and my parents doing the same thing to me.  I HATED doing new things with people I didn't know.  I was not the most outgoing kid, in fact, I was pretty shy.


So I went downstairs to Ed and said, "Please tell me we are doing the right thing."  


I just wanted to hold Micah, let him cry, and tell him I was sorry I would ever force him to do something he didn't want to do.  That he could absolutely get what he wanted.  But something told me that was wrong...and it was.


Ed talked to him, prayed with him, and tried to calm him down...and me too!  (I love that man!)  Gradually, the crying turned to smiles.  He was accepting the fact that he was going.


And then the Lord just stepped in.  We got there and the kids were amazed at all the decorations.  They saw that it was cool.  Then I ran into a friend from church who has three girls Micah's age.  So we worked it out to be in their class.  Then I saw the rest of the list and noticed two other kids in his class were in his 3 year old preschool class!  


So he was now happy, and maybe even a little excited, which made it easy for me to drop him off.  We walked into the other building where his group was, and there was "MA"!  (grandma)  They all ran to see her with great excitement.  And the rest is history!


Lesson Learned:  Sometimes as parents, we can easily cave to our child's wants.  But the greater picture is God has placed us in a position where we have to discern what's best.  And Ed and I felt what was best was to send him to a church, with possibly not knowing anyone, to do something fun, and something that would stretch him socially.  


Everything in me wanted to cave to the pressure, but I'm glad that under my husband's leadership, we didn't.  And now, my boy is having fun with some friends learning that God is WILD about him, and so am I.