I was perched on the side of the toddler bed tucking my two year old daughter, Emery, in for the night. She was tired and had voluntarily climbed in and pulled up the covers. I sat there for a few moments talking to her and asked if she wanted me to sing her a song. She answered with a whisper, and I leaned in closer and asked her to repeat what she had said. This time I heard her clearly, “Get Off My Bed!”
I was taken back a little, but soon found the humor in her honest words. After all, this was quite normal behavior for Emery. She is fiercely independent and wants to be like all of her older siblings. She wants to put on her own shoes, open her own doors, crack her own eggs for scrambled eggs, mix her own brownies, and pour her own milk! In her mind, she is a independent individual and needs no one to help her (unless she is hurt or wronged in some way). Although I wish she was self sufficient, I find myself annoyed that she will not let me help. Obviously she is not old enough to accomplish all her tasks on her own and it takes a very long time to convince her that sometimes my help would be beneficial.
As I was contemplating these rituals we repeat every day, I suddenly realized my relationship with my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ is similar in so many ways with Emery’s relationship to me. I obviously need their help to guide me through my life. Most importantly I need the atonement that Jesus Christ offers to me. Yet so many times I fail to ask in prayer for help. I push aside or don’t listen to promptings from the Holy Ghost. I skip scripture study because I am too busy or too tired to read. I fail to use the atonement to correct my faults and failings. And still, a loving Father in Heaven patiently waits for me to see and understand. The Savior waits with arms outstretched for me to ask for His help.
How grateful I am for the opportunity to be a mother and occasionally see me through His eyes.
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