…lines…

For two precious weeks Pie Anne, Rosy Haired Hummingbird, and Julie Droolie (a better nickname will emerge) were visiting Papa and Mo Mo from Ecuador.  For those who don’t know, I am a Skype grandma for a vast majority of the year.  Rosy, a chip of Pie Anne’s block, blew in, with her family, in a flourish from Ecuador.  We were poised with the big wheel.  The excursions were planned. The neighbors were contacted. Fruit Snacks, Chocolate and Cheetos…we were all set for our wonderful disruptions to the now calm and quiet lives Dave and I are now living.  Rosy had her plans and she was all about sticking to them.

At the park I quickly noticed that she would climb to the top of the ‘rope spider’ without even being asked.  She romped around looking for all the nine year olds to follow; if they couldn’t be found, she’d find a wandering father to pick up or quiz.

On one of the days she found this guy with this thing sticking out of his mouth.  Before I could even figure out what it was she said,

Hey, what is that thing that is smoking in your mouth?

He replied,

It is an electronic cigarette.

Rosy quizzed,

Why?

Annoyed he muttered to my Rosy Hummingbird,

Well, at least it is better than a real cigarette.

I’ll spare you the rest of the conversation.  But early on, in our wonderful two week journey, I noticed something.  She was a bit like someone else I knew very well.  Oh right, now you are probably thinking I’m saying that she would be a line- crosser like her own mama.  You would be only partially right…she is would be very similar also to her ever loving Mo Mo, me.

If someone told me that I had to keep my feet on the carpet, I would inch right up to the edge.  I would look both ways, of course to see if anyone was watching and then quite often, I would step over the line.  Sometimes I might ask , “Why?”, but most of the time I would figure it would probably be more interesting or worthwhile to step over the line.

Sammie, Emily and I, made popular by James Dobson, are known as  ‘strong willed’ children.  We require loving discipline for our ‘crossings’.  We also have repeatedly learned the word, ‘Sorry‘, as we are marching off to the stairs for our time-outs, ten times a day…okay, I know that is maybe an exaggeration.  But last week I overheard Emily talking to Sammie, in her time-out at the foot of the stairs,

Sam, I like that you said ‘sorry’, but you must show me that you obey me.  When you ‘repent’, you must change your behavior.  You are on the stairs, because I love you and I want you to change.

This week at my life-changing Bible study, we studied, about the ‘Refiner’s Fire’.  God disciplines his treasured children if we cross the line.  He disciplines us because he loves us.  It is something I hate hearing, because I have never enjoyed being disciplined.  I do though, desire to be a disciple of Christ and after all, he does call me his daughter. This is my story, this is what I want my life to be about.  This morning I noticed something very odd…how closely related the two words were…discipline….disciple.  Interesting… I never thought of a disciple being disciplined before.

Finally, here’s a picture of my spirited grand-daughter.  I know that someday, she will be fighting for what needs to be righted in our world, but now just squeezing the life out of Julie, gives her intense joy! xo

 ^{Hebrew 12:5-6} And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

                             “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
                              and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
                                      ⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
                               and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

…next pic of Juliette will be a smile…I promise!

 PS…you know I love them…for those of you who are still in the trenches out there…our school developed a 3 part apology…admitting crossing the line, saying, ‘I’m sorry’, and telling how you will change your behavior.  Hmmm…I think I am still in process quite often in that last step.