Clay at 4 years old
and at his wedding...
When I posted the last blog in honor of Clay's birthday, I was trying to decide between two stories about his childhood that God used to teach me important lessons about my relationship with Him as my Heavenly Father. I chose the story about him refusing to pick up his toys. Through that God taught me about how He doesn't "force" us to do His will. Instead, He chooses to transform us from the inside out, giving us the desire to obey Him. The other story about Clay reminds me of an equally important lesson about God's love and care for me.
When Clay was small, he got bored in school very easily. He would then get into trouble. We came to dread the inevitable phone calls from his teacher. We were so frustrated with our unsuccessful attempts to change his behavior by punishing him. Finally, his teacher came up with a system that seemed to work. She would send home a daily notice of his behavior. If he got more “happy faces” than “sad faces” in one week, then he got a prize. If he got all “happy faces” in a week, he got a really good prize. He was so naturally competetive that he wanted to "win" and did very well with this process.
One night during the time we were in the midst of this process, he was riding the exercise bike in our home, without our permission. We heard a terrible scream. He had caught his toe in the pedals and it was mashed flat. When I heard his scream my first reaction was to respond to him. I cried right along with him and tended to his injury. I gave him some medicine to relieve the pain.
When I heard his cry, it never occurred to me to check his record of “happy/sad faces” first to see if he deserved to be helped. I never even considered the fact that I had told him not to ride that bike and that he was only in pain because he had disobeyed me. He was my child and he was in trouble. It was the deepest desire of my heart to help him and to see to it that he was never hurt in that way again.
Now, since we know that God is a perfect Father, do you really think He would do any less for you? We sometimes get the idea that God won't help us if we get ourselves into trouble. Or that God will somehow check our record of good and bad actions to determine whether or not we deserve His help. But God loves us perfectly and unconditionally. Even our best behavior doesn't merit His favor. We don't deserve anything He does for us. But everything He does for us is based on His love, not our good or bad behavior. When we hurt, He responds with perfect love and always with the appropriate action that is best for us.
When Clay was small, he got bored in school very easily. He would then get into trouble. We came to dread the inevitable phone calls from his teacher. We were so frustrated with our unsuccessful attempts to change his behavior by punishing him. Finally, his teacher came up with a system that seemed to work. She would send home a daily notice of his behavior. If he got more “happy faces” than “sad faces” in one week, then he got a prize. If he got all “happy faces” in a week, he got a really good prize. He was so naturally competetive that he wanted to "win" and did very well with this process.
One night during the time we were in the midst of this process, he was riding the exercise bike in our home, without our permission. We heard a terrible scream. He had caught his toe in the pedals and it was mashed flat. When I heard his scream my first reaction was to respond to him. I cried right along with him and tended to his injury. I gave him some medicine to relieve the pain.
When I heard his cry, it never occurred to me to check his record of “happy/sad faces” first to see if he deserved to be helped. I never even considered the fact that I had told him not to ride that bike and that he was only in pain because he had disobeyed me. He was my child and he was in trouble. It was the deepest desire of my heart to help him and to see to it that he was never hurt in that way again.
Now, since we know that God is a perfect Father, do you really think He would do any less for you? We sometimes get the idea that God won't help us if we get ourselves into trouble. Or that God will somehow check our record of good and bad actions to determine whether or not we deserve His help. But God loves us perfectly and unconditionally. Even our best behavior doesn't merit His favor. We don't deserve anything He does for us. But everything He does for us is based on His love, not our good or bad behavior. When we hurt, He responds with perfect love and always with the appropriate action that is best for us.
I'm glad we made it through Clay's childhood because God did a great work in his life. He is one of the finest young men I know.
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