It is truly amazing to see an eight months old baby obeying instructions and remembering what he should or should not do. Joash now is able to pause at what he is doing when I say his name sternly. After I tell him not to touch something such as the wires or the fan, he will look at me with the glint in his eyes to test the boundaries. I would smack the back of the offending hand and say," Mummy says no." He may cry in protest a bit but the next time he approaches the forbidden object, he'll look towards me for approval. Most of the time, he'll listen if I say 'no'. I'm so proud of Joash when I catch him look "longingly" at the off-limits things but is able to exercise self-control to resist reaching for them.
But of course, there are some anecdotes with regards to his struggle to obey.
Story 1
I was cooking in the kitchen when I had the premonition that Joash was doing something he shouldn't since he was way too quiet. I went to the living room only to catch him red-handed playing with my handbag, something which I had already told him not to do before. He had this really intense look as he rummaged through its contents, so much so that he didn't notice my presence till I called out his name. Immediately, he looked up with a distinctively guilty face and scampered away. He then sat up and gave me a look that seemed to say, "Nope. You didn't see me do that." Fighting back laughter, I told him with a no-nonsense tone that my bag is not for play. He giggled and crawled elsewhere in search of new amusement.
Story 2
I was at my Aunt's place and of course, I had to set new boundaries at the new place. Some places like the DVD player and the stack of paper at the corner were out-of-bounds. I did the same discipline routine and it worked except for the paper area. I tell you, this boy is so paper crazy, he will literally go wild with excitement whenever he spots paper and will rush towards it and eat it in no time at all! Anyway, as I was saying, he kept trying to grab for the paper when I wasn't looking but managed to stop reluctantly whenever I saw him make the move and call out his name. Then, he had this really indecisive moment when he paced back and forth, wondering if he should obey or give in to his desires. Eventually, he distracted himself with other permissible toys. The funny thing is, when we told him that we were leaving, he seemed to have understood us and all of the sudden made a mad dash to the stack of paper with a shocking sense of desperation. He was still grabbing tightly onto the paper even as I tried to carry him away. It was like: "Noooo!!!! If we leave, I'll never see this paper ever again!" I didn't know whether I should be amused or worried about his obsession with paper.
Seeing Joash's struggle and, ultimately, obedience are such great joy and indeed incredibly fulfilling for me as his mother. I am led to think about how we often relate to God in the matter of obedience. God must really be extremely delighted when we choose to ultimately obey him. However, we so very often wrestle with our fleshly desires and God's instructions. Aren't God's protective boundaries for our own good? Doesn't he stop us from doing something out of his great love for us? I cannot imagine how we could ever think that God is stingy and is out to kill our fun. I supposed we have so much pride in ourselves that we think we know better than the all knowing and all powerful God who created us...
But of course, there are some anecdotes with regards to his struggle to obey.
Story 1
I was cooking in the kitchen when I had the premonition that Joash was doing something he shouldn't since he was way too quiet. I went to the living room only to catch him red-handed playing with my handbag, something which I had already told him not to do before. He had this really intense look as he rummaged through its contents, so much so that he didn't notice my presence till I called out his name. Immediately, he looked up with a distinctively guilty face and scampered away. He then sat up and gave me a look that seemed to say, "Nope. You didn't see me do that." Fighting back laughter, I told him with a no-nonsense tone that my bag is not for play. He giggled and crawled elsewhere in search of new amusement.
Story 2
I was at my Aunt's place and of course, I had to set new boundaries at the new place. Some places like the DVD player and the stack of paper at the corner were out-of-bounds. I did the same discipline routine and it worked except for the paper area. I tell you, this boy is so paper crazy, he will literally go wild with excitement whenever he spots paper and will rush towards it and eat it in no time at all! Anyway, as I was saying, he kept trying to grab for the paper when I wasn't looking but managed to stop reluctantly whenever I saw him make the move and call out his name. Then, he had this really indecisive moment when he paced back and forth, wondering if he should obey or give in to his desires. Eventually, he distracted himself with other permissible toys. The funny thing is, when we told him that we were leaving, he seemed to have understood us and all of the sudden made a mad dash to the stack of paper with a shocking sense of desperation. He was still grabbing tightly onto the paper even as I tried to carry him away. It was like: "Noooo!!!! If we leave, I'll never see this paper ever again!" I didn't know whether I should be amused or worried about his obsession with paper.
Seeing Joash's struggle and, ultimately, obedience are such great joy and indeed incredibly fulfilling for me as his mother. I am led to think about how we often relate to God in the matter of obedience. God must really be extremely delighted when we choose to ultimately obey him. However, we so very often wrestle with our fleshly desires and God's instructions. Aren't God's protective boundaries for our own good? Doesn't he stop us from doing something out of his great love for us? I cannot imagine how we could ever think that God is stingy and is out to kill our fun. I supposed we have so much pride in ourselves that we think we know better than the all knowing and all powerful God who created us...
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
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