Puppy Monkets! It's me!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
6/08/2010 | 
Posted by
Sham-Rock
Our 3 year old son, who has been fully potty trained for a few months now, recently began pottying in his pants again... When asked why he was choosing to not go to the potty, he informed us that "Dragons live in the potty" and continued to hysterically describe how big and scary they are, and that they would get him if he went potty...
So... long story short: we have been battling dragons ever since. We've tried nerf guns, water pistols, medieval wooden swords, spray bottles of water - uh oh! I mean "dragon poison"... You name it, we've tried it, but unfortunately, those darn dragons just won't go away... :o(
How do you teach a 3 year old that there is nothing to be afraid of, when, in his mind, his fears are so real? How do you show him that there are no dragons, without discouraging him from coming to you with his fears? How do you kill imaginary dragons when they are so big and overwhelming? And we can't even see them...............
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's been several days, and we are still battling dragons... Sometimes, we seem to press forward in the fight, making progress, and even little steps are enough to encourage us to keep fighting... but then, suddenly, a bigger, stronger, scarier dragon shows up and we are over-powered once again...
That's how things tend to go, though, right? In life, I mean... At least for me anyway... There are times when I find myself paralyzed for fear of the "what if's"... What if my husband doesn't come home this time? What if our daughter's seizures get worse? What if don't teach our son the right things at the right time? What if something bad happens? What if I fail? What if I let ____ (any given person in my life) down? What if I'm not good enough? What if...? What if...? What if...?
Sometimes, I become so consumed by those "What if..." fears, that I can't focus on anything else. I end up spending my time trying to avoid anything possible that I can't predict the outcome of, which is pretty much everything in life... When I get in that "mode", even the things that I'm familiar with... the things I "can predict" the outcome (i.e. something as simple as making a favorite recipe or reading a familiar book, etc...), end up falling apart... I burn the recipe or drop the book in the water-filled sink or something LOL
My point is, sometimes, we create our own fears. We allow our emotions to magnify our worries and concerns, and before we know it, we're standing face to face with a humongous dragon, just waiting to devour us, unsure of what to do, how to fight, and clueless as to why the beast is there.
I recently started singing the hymn, "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" to our kids at bed time... It's always been one of my favorites, but I was reminded of why it's so special to me as I sang it to our crying little boy the past few nights, as he lay in bed surrounded by Buzz Lightyear, his sword, and several other choice toys, to help him not be afraid...
"What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.
Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there."
I am still learning every day to give my cares, burdens, fears, worries, etc... to God. I have been a born-again Christian for just short of 10 years now, and I am still learning how to pray. I have numerous fears - some very real, some, like the dragons, are self-created... I have chosen all sorts of ways to defend/protect myself... as did our son as he surrounded himself with his treasure possessions which made him feel safe...
But, just as little man used his sword and shield, I am finally learning to use God's Word and my faith in Him... Just as my little boy clung to his trusted pal, Buzz Lightyear, I cling to my trusted Saviour, Jesus Christ... Just as the words of the song comforted his little mind, the words in scripture, and the encouragement and prayers of Godly friends comfort me...
This battle is raging, and it's not always pleasant, peaceful, and can often be terrifying, but I know that, in the end, all of those dragons will fall to my God, and they are not real, for "God does not give the spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.", so instead of listening to the tricks of my mind, I'm going to choose God. He is my warrior. He is my strength. He is my hope. He is my safety. He is my saviour.
As for Garrett's dragons, we'll see, I guess... I'll be praying about it... because God hasn't ever let me down :o)
So... long story short: we have been battling dragons ever since. We've tried nerf guns, water pistols, medieval wooden swords, spray bottles of water - uh oh! I mean "dragon poison"... You name it, we've tried it, but unfortunately, those darn dragons just won't go away... :o(
How do you teach a 3 year old that there is nothing to be afraid of, when, in his mind, his fears are so real? How do you show him that there are no dragons, without discouraging him from coming to you with his fears? How do you kill imaginary dragons when they are so big and overwhelming? And we can't even see them...............
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's been several days, and we are still battling dragons... Sometimes, we seem to press forward in the fight, making progress, and even little steps are enough to encourage us to keep fighting... but then, suddenly, a bigger, stronger, scarier dragon shows up and we are over-powered once again...
That's how things tend to go, though, right? In life, I mean... At least for me anyway... There are times when I find myself paralyzed for fear of the "what if's"... What if my husband doesn't come home this time? What if our daughter's seizures get worse? What if don't teach our son the right things at the right time? What if something bad happens? What if I fail? What if I let ____ (any given person in my life) down? What if I'm not good enough? What if...? What if...? What if...?
Sometimes, I become so consumed by those "What if..." fears, that I can't focus on anything else. I end up spending my time trying to avoid anything possible that I can't predict the outcome of, which is pretty much everything in life... When I get in that "mode", even the things that I'm familiar with... the things I "can predict" the outcome (i.e. something as simple as making a favorite recipe or reading a familiar book, etc...), end up falling apart... I burn the recipe or drop the book in the water-filled sink or something LOL
My point is, sometimes, we create our own fears. We allow our emotions to magnify our worries and concerns, and before we know it, we're standing face to face with a humongous dragon, just waiting to devour us, unsure of what to do, how to fight, and clueless as to why the beast is there.
I recently started singing the hymn, "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" to our kids at bed time... It's always been one of my favorites, but I was reminded of why it's so special to me as I sang it to our crying little boy the past few nights, as he lay in bed surrounded by Buzz Lightyear, his sword, and several other choice toys, to help him not be afraid...
"What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.
Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there."
I am still learning every day to give my cares, burdens, fears, worries, etc... to God. I have been a born-again Christian for just short of 10 years now, and I am still learning how to pray. I have numerous fears - some very real, some, like the dragons, are self-created... I have chosen all sorts of ways to defend/protect myself... as did our son as he surrounded himself with his treasure possessions which made him feel safe...
But, just as little man used his sword and shield, I am finally learning to use God's Word and my faith in Him... Just as my little boy clung to his trusted pal, Buzz Lightyear, I cling to my trusted Saviour, Jesus Christ... Just as the words of the song comforted his little mind, the words in scripture, and the encouragement and prayers of Godly friends comfort me...
This battle is raging, and it's not always pleasant, peaceful, and can often be terrifying, but I know that, in the end, all of those dragons will fall to my God, and they are not real, for "God does not give the spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.", so instead of listening to the tricks of my mind, I'm going to choose God. He is my warrior. He is my strength. He is my hope. He is my safety. He is my saviour.
As for Garrett's dragons, we'll see, I guess... I'll be praying about it... because God hasn't ever let me down :o)
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