The Parable of the Unfolded Stockings

We always have a laundry mountain. But as Hillary Weeks sings, "Climb every mountain..."

So I was doing just that one morning, when one of my 3-yr-olds came in and asked if she was allowed to help. Um.... YES! I'm hoping this will be a positive experience so when she's 16 and really can help, she'll still want to. Wishful thinking, yes, I know. Anyway, I gave her some stockings to "fold".

So this is what happened: She spent about 5 minutes trying to get the legs to line-up perfectly, and got so frustrated that she started whining, crying, and finally left, completely distraught that she wasn't able to perfectly fold the stockings like I had asked her to. She didn't even think to ask me for help. It was so sad to me to watch this happen, because seriously, do I need stockings folded? No. Do I waste my time folding stockings so they can be ripped apart as my kids go through the sock drawer 50 times a day? No.

What she didn't realize was that what I had asked her to do and what I wanted to happen were two very different things.

1. I wanted to spend some quality time together.

2. I wanted her to feel useful and needed.

3. I wanted her to feel good working, so that she would begin to realize the satisfaction and even fun that can come from work (which I am still learning, by the way).

It struck me that this is very likely what Our Father does with us. He asks a lot of us sometimes. Does this sounds familiar?

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:48

A commandment? Yes. An expectation based on our current capacity? I don't think so. Here's a useful definition of "perfect".

Father doesn't always ask us to do things based on our ability, His expectation, or even what He wants the end result to be right now. I think He's just hoping we'll learn something in the process, and most importantly, that we'll ask Him for help.

Who will remind His children that He loves them?

I have a love-hate relationship with that story about my sister almost dying. I love that she was able to face death so calmly. I love that her husband could give her a blessing that she would be spared. I love that a visiting teacher followed a prompting that led her to save my sister and her three sweet girls.

I hate it for probably very obvious reasons. Not the least of which is that I had no idea all of this was going on and I was completely helpless to do anything about it. I have always hated that we are separated by so much distance and that all I can do from way over here is pray and call her when we can catch each other between temper tantrums and Pokemon battles (the kids have those too).

...but her post got me thinking in terms of our main topic, and I thought I would share some of the things I've been thinking about this last week.

The first thing that popped into my mind after reading her post was this Primary song:

He Sent His Son

How could the Father tell the world of love and tenderness?
He sent his son, a newborn babe, with peace and holiness.
How could the Father show the world the pathway we should go?
He sent his son to walk with man on Earth that we may know.

How could the Father tell the world of sacrifice, of death?
He sent his Son to die for us, and rise with living breath.

What does the Father ask of us? What do the scriptures say?
Have faith, have hope, live like his Son, Help others on their way.
What does he ask?
Live like his Son.

(lyrics by Mabel Jones Gabbot)

The song got me thinking about Easter and of all the things that God does to remind us, His children, how much he loves us. He loves us so much that he gave his only begotten Son as a sinless sacrifice so that we could all be together one day.

Here are some of the other things I notice that my perfect parent does for me that remind me how much he loves each of his children.

He gave us this beautiful world to enjoy and to take care of; to help us learn to love and appreciate other beings; yes, even spiders. And to learn how to care for what we've been given and to wonder at his miraculous power and think about what heaven will be like if it's even more glorious than this amazing and gorgeous earth.

He gave us his words, that we might study and learn not only who he is, but who we are.

He gave us mortal bodies that we might learn sickness and health, joy and pain.

He gives us trials and tests to refine and beautify our spirits

He gave us families to teach us about our shortcomings and strengths and to help each other stand together, to lift and strengthen, to laugh and cry with, to learn to love as he loves us.

The list goes on and is as infinite as he is.

We could never possibly hope to give our own children even a small measure of what he's given us. But we can give our children this amazing and miraculous gift: "To know (him), the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom (he) hast sent." (John 17:3)

There is almost no way in which we can show our children more love than to help them to know God and Jesus Christ. If we can do nothing else to try and be a perfect parent, we must strive with all our might to make sure that they know on whom we rely for our strength and comfort. If we can show them this one thing, then the chances are that much greater that they will, in turn, learn to rely on them too. What greater gift can we give our children on earth than to let them know that they have TWO sets of parents who love them?

What else are you doing to let your children know that you love them?