Last night, after an evening of being totally irritated with my oldest son, something happened that changed my heart. When I went to make sure that he was asleep, he asked, “Mom, can we talk?”
I sat on his bed as he opened up to me, and shared his very tender feelings. His day hadn’t gone well, and finally, after 10:00 at night, he was ready to talk. It nearly broke my heart to hear him say, “I just don’t feel smart. I don’t feel like I am worth anything. I wonder, ‘Why me?’, and what I am on the earth for.”
We spoke heart-to-heart for quite a while, and worked through his feelings. Of course, I knew much of how he felt, but hearing this little boy –almost eleven-years-old- say them so sadly, reminded me of how fragile this tough guy is. He needed love and reassurance, and my irritation was replaced with love.
When I was young, I too seemed to want to talk to my mother late at night, when all she probably wanted to do was to sleep. However, my mom always listened when I was ready to open up.
Similarly, I know that Father in Heaven is always there to hear my cries and concerns. He never has something that is more important or urgent than you and me. When we are ready to talk, he is near-eager to encircle us with the love and reassurance we so desperately need.
I am grateful for the opportunity I had last night to really listen to the feelings of my son’s heart, and to promise him that his life was incredibly important. . I told him that Father in Heaven loves him so much, and he would send the Spirit to teach him of his worth.
Before we said good night, he plastered me with a bear hug and just held onto me. The love I have for him filled my heart, and I knew all the struggles I encounter because of him, were worth it.
Likewise, our Father loves us, even more than we can comprehend. We need not fear him, or worry that he will not accept us. He loves you and me perfectly and is ready to hear the tender feelings of our hearts.
5 comments:
Thank you for reminding our tender hearts as well Kris. You are amazing. I thank Heavenly Father for your amazing spirit!
Such a beautiful reminder - thank you. So true its often late in the evening when our kids may open up and share.
Give him a hug for me.
There's an important key here for parents, I think, and that is that you went to check on him. You were frustrated with him, and irritated, and "in the box", to use one of my most favorite phrases, but you WENT TO CHECK. You still did your job. You let your love for him as a mother move you to do the right thing. As a result of that, you were presented with a chance and a precious gift.
It can be so hard for us to push through our resentment of our children, and occasionally our spouses. But if we love them, we must. We must still do those things that show our love for them, if we are to get these gifts. We must, in a word, LOVE them. Love, the feeling, is useless and destructive without Love, the verb.
Thanks for the lesson. I always learn from you.
You of all people will understand why I couldn't read that post for a few days...Now I read it and wept anyway. You are wonderful and I'm glad you can help C know of our Father's love!
Post a Comment