I cannot tell you how often I say these exact phrases each day. Life with a curious, intelligent, and confident child can have its challenges as they exercise their independence. One challenge is minimizing the chaos that comes with her constant investigation into everything. Gotta love it! Learning this life and how it works can be a messy business, and some days prove very difficult, letting my cranky attitude flow out on everyone. And cranky is not the way I want to respond.

Recently, this Verse of the Day came up on the You Version Bible app.

"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:17

I often hear it quoted when people speak about our country’s ills, wishing everyone would get it together and act right. Then maybe all would be well in our country. A wonderful thing, indeed, but I read the verse more personally this week in how it affects the small ‘country’ found in my home.

God initially spoke the verse found in 2 Chronicles to Solomon about the people of Israel. As Solomon dedicated the temple of God, God called for his people’s dedication to become people in name and action. The message to the Israelites was that God desired their attention. He wanted them to turn to him for guidance. Then, things would change because they had changed. Life would be better because God was their focus.

My takeaway from this message to the Israelites?

If we go to God on all occasions to seek his way, we will be healthier humans. Healthier, God-seeking people act better, make better decisions, and treat those around them better. But you are wondering what God’s ways are. What do they look like in action? What I have experienced is this: God has shown me unconditional love, mercy, forgiveness, and acceptance every single time without fail. If we are people called by his name, representing him in our homes, it will follow that we should also practice love, mercy, forgiveness, and acceptance toward the ones around us.

Jayme and her ‘adventures in learning’ have taught me a great deal about living in God’s ways. I pray daily to be the mother Jayme needs to be confident, secure, and follow God as she grows to know him. The result has made me much better at showing love that speaks to her, forgiving the ‘oopsies’ for the thousandth time and accepting Jaymes for her three-year-old curious and sometimes naughty self. I’ve evolved into a much better form of myself. God has brought good to my life, and that good has poured out on others who reside in my little plot of ‘land’ we call home.

My son (or daughter in my case), be attentive to my words; incline your word to my sayings. let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. for they are life to those who find them, and healing to their flesh. keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:20-23

God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.

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