Titus 2:11-13

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus."

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Adjustments

I was going to post today about all the little adjustments we are making in the Squires household as I slowly modify my "modified bedrest," increasing my activity little by little (and having no physical issues with doing so!) while still maintaining some mandatory resting periods throughout my day--adjustments such as letting my house get a little less tidy than I am comfortable with, devising ways to make fewer trips up and down the stairs, and asking my husband to do things like grocery shop and clean the floors; but there is one adjustment far more worthy of telling about, for it involves the two little people who have been more affected by all this than anyone else.

Abel, my three-year old son, and Amariah, my 21-month old daughter, are accustomed to relying on Mommy for all their needs.  I am with them 24/7, and whenever a need arises, I have always been there to fulfill it.  However, in my attempts to "take it easy" for the remainder of this pregnancy--and in preparation for suddenly having twice as many children (and therefore, twice as many needs) to care for--I have stepped up my expectations of Abel and Amariah.

For example, instead of lifting Amariah into her booster seat at meal time, I have taught her to utilize a step stool to get herself into her chair.  And instead of allowing Abel to have numerous toys out in the living room at once (which creates a bigger mess that I end up feeling compelled to clean up myself because it's quicker that way), I have been asking him to put away anything he's done with before moving on to the next thing.

And today at naptime, I decided to try another high expectation:  I asked them to take themselves upstairs to bed, giving only the instruction that Abel was to help Amariah get tucked in.  After giving Travis and me hugs and kisses, my two little children who are far bigger than I sometimes realize took off up the stairs hand-in-hand.  A few seconds later I quietly followed and proceeded to secretly observe what simultaneously brought joy to my heart and tears to my eyes.

As Abel and Amariah entered their bedroom, Abel said to Amariah, "Help me pick up these toys, Sissy.  This room is a mess."  I watched and listened as they worked together to put every toy in its proper place.  When everything was placed according to Abel's high standards (which I'm proud to say he has acquired from his Mommy!), Abel then announced, "Sissy, we need to pray.  Come hold my hand."  And I watched and listened as they sat side-by-side and hand-in-hand with heads bowed as Abel prayed, "Jesus, please help Sissy do better and grow strong, Jesus.  Amen."  Then, after changing himself into his pajamas, Abel told Amariah to lay down.  She crawled into bed, and Abel proceeded to place each of her three blankets perfectly on top of her.  "Goodnight, Sissy!" was followed by a big, sweet kiss and the announcement, "I'm going night-night, too, Sissy!"; and he crawled into bed.

I came back down the stairs in awe of both the evident reasonableness of my lofty command and the obedience and accountability of my two babies who aren't babies anymore.  Not only did they obey me in taking themselves to bed, but of their own accord they also tidied their bedroom and prayed before doing so.

Needless to say, I am blessed beyond measure by my two dear children and by the fruit of our labors in training and disciplining them; and I am thankful to God that He is using this time of adjustments to prepare all of us for the adjustments sure to come!

7 comments:

LisaShaw said...

Angela, this is a beautiful message of God's love that is obviously radiating within your family. It shows in the care of Abel for his sister and his desire to be obedient to you and to God and his heart to take care of what's IMPORTANT, cleaning up, praying for his sister and getting her off to nap. That's awesome!

I pray both of them and your children to come will abide in Christ and follow the teachings of God that you and your husband are pouring into them now.

Rest dear sister. I don't know where you live. I'm in Orlando, FLorida. If I can get to you I'd be happy to clean your home, grocery shop and whatever else is needed to help out. Let me know and if you live too far then I pray GOD would send LOTS OF people to bless you while you REST REST REST and bring forth more new life. PRAISE THE LORD!

I was praying for you and decided to pop over. Let me know if there is anything that I can do.

Please tell Abel that Miss Lisa is going to say an extra special prayer tonight for him and his sister, Mommy, Daddy and the twins. Please tell him that he's a very special little boy and Jesus loves him and his sister very very much.

Bless you!

Angela said...

Dear Lisa,

What an honor and a blessing to have you praying for us. And how kind of you to offer your help to someone you don't even know! We live in Iowa, and the Lord has surrounded us with an amazing support system in our time of need.

Thank you so much for your prayers! When I relayed your message to Abel, he flashed the most sincere little smile. The look on his face displayed the same joy and humility that I feel in knowing you are praying for us.

Thank you!

In Christ,
Angela

LisaShaw said...

Praise the Lord Angela,

I came back over today to see how all was going and I prayed for all of you last night and again this morning at church. You'll remain in my prayers.

Iowa is too far (of course :)) but I'm so glad the Lord has placed people there to help you. We don't need to know each other as Christians we should serve the Lord and one another. That's the greatest blessing.

I hope your day was a sweet blessing in our LORD for you and your family. I also hope you're resting. Take care dear one.

Joanna said...

That is too sweet! I love it that Abel thought the room was a 'mess' and that they should clean it up. My boys are similar in that way, getting it from me as well.

Stephanie said...

So sweet, Angela! I hope and pray my children have such sweet spirits as they grow too. Praying you get much needed rest and for those little ones to continue growing healthy and strong before making their entrance.

Nutmeg said...

Angela,
It is so awesome to see our children growing. Often they are capable of things we had no idea they are capable of until we give them (or are forced to give them) the opportunity.
Amy

Kelly said...

Angela, thanks for sharing this! You have trained your children so well! I almost started crying when I read about them cleaning up the room and praying before bed. How precious! It's so good that you are preparing them now for when the twins get here.

I'm glad you're doing well and taking it easy. I'm praying for you and the babies!

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