I’m a by-the-book kinda person. I want my kids to go to bed on the dot. I don’t try to return something to a store if it’s been 1 day over the limit. I don’t ask to send back food. I don’t leave a church service early because I want to get to my car first. I feel comfortable knowing that I’ve obeyed the rules.
But sometimes, as a parent, you have to break rules. You have to be the fun mom and make an ice cream run after PJs are on. You have to let your teenage daughter stay home from school when she’s crying about a relationship problem. You have to put chores and homework aside so your kids can go to a special party at church. Sometimes you have to go to Starbucks for hot chocolate when it’s waaay past bedtime…
{my two kiddos making memories at Starbucks…waaaay past their bedtime!}
But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously.
Micah 6:8, The Message
When was the last time you broke a rule to impress your kids?
I remember when I was 10 or so, my parents had gone out on a date and my sisters and I had a babysitter. They got home about 30 minutes after we’d gone to bed, but we weren’t sleeping. After the babysitter left, they got us out of bed to watch a movie. I think it was Ernest Saves Christmas. They had laid out sleeping bags and popped popcorn and we had a fun night watching a movie together. It’s something small, but I’ve always remembered it.
It’s those little things that end up being BIG.
It was me who was crying over relationship problems and my mom let me stay home from school. It’s something I’ll never forget. It was an act of sacrificial love for her to have me “mess up” her day by staying home!
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