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"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." – Deuteronomy 6:5-7
As my daughter approached toddlerhood, I began making correlations with her existing frame of reference to prepare her for new experiences. When we visit someone's house I say, "We clean up when we're done playing, just like at home." When we go to the zoo, I remind her, "Sometimes you have to stay in the stroller, just like when we go on long walks."
Now almost 4, it is exciting to see Keeley making her own correlations. She noticed steam rising and swirling from her Nana's coffee mug in the sunlight and excitedly observed, "Just like a ballerina!" While taking off her socks at the end of the day, I shouted, "Steeeeeeenky!" She replied, "Just like Daddy."
She gets it.
I've recently been challenged to take what she already knows and teach her about Jesus and the gospel as we "walk by the way," as Deuteronomy commands.
I'm a fan of letting her explore with her hands; sifting through dirt, picking dandelions and crumpling leaves are typical during our walks. Keeley's exuberance for nature begs my commentary, "Isn't God so creative to make all the trees and plants so different? No two are the same. Just like He made us. Everyone is different!"
On a recent work retreat, Chris brought home some "treasures" for her to paint. He told her, "Keeley, when I was in the mountains, I thought about you and prayed for you as I found these rocks and pinecones. Remember when we saw all those pretty colors in the sunset? Pinks, oranges, purples? We are painting, just like how God paints the sky. And we are creative, just like God, because we are in His image." (Side note: I hear that the lovely Fresno sunsets are due to poor air quality, but isn't that just like God, to turn our mess into beauty?)
And in most cases, discipline with an almost 4 year old usually ends with, "Keeley, just like you need help putting on your jacket, let's pray and ask Jesus to help you have self-control, because you cannot do it on your own."
Not only does looking for gospel correlations keep me in the moment, but like a treasure hunt in my day, it has allowed me to enjoy the mundane. It also keeps God's glory and grace at the forefront of my mind, which it pains me to admit, has shone the light on my sinful mindset of being quite self-centered.
The other night I was assisting Keeley on the potty and calming her down from a nightmare. I comforted, "Let's not think about the dream; let's think about whatever is lovely, true, excellent and praiseworthy.[1] God's Word and promises are true, and we can trust God." After her final potty tinkle, she exclaimed, "Mommy, it's just like a potty fountain!"
Yep. It is just like that.
[1] See Philippians 4:8