As a single mom, I am very regularly overwhelmed and afraid of normal household maintenance issues: electrical, plumbing, etc.
Yesterday I mustered the courage to fix a slow drain in my bathroom sink, and in my attempt to unclog the drain, I now still have a slow drain, but my novice plumbing skills compounded the problem by adding a leaky pipe to the situation. :D
I have been attempting to fix both problems for two days. It shouldn't be hard, but it is frustrating.
It is interesting how facing challenges grows us in unique ways, huh?
I dealt with the slow drain several months ago, so I wasn't scared to do that, but when the pipe started leaking, I began to feel the fear and panic rise. Initially, I was very proud of myself because I can see that my fears of the unknown (in terms of household maintenance) have significantly lessened in the past few years. I felt ready to take on the challenge of a slow drain. It feels weird to say that something so simple can be so scary to me, but it's true.
When the fear and panic began to well up in me yesterday as the pipe began leaking and a million "worst-case" scenarios and questions began flooding my brain, I realized that I was able to control my feelings quickly. I chose instead to believe that God would equip me to fix the problems successfully. I remembered the Scripture He gave me several years ago (Isaiah 55:5--"For your Maker is your Husband.") I prayed and asked God to help me. He has. Today the leak became significantly better. There is now just a very small, steady drip. I will work on it more later today, and I have a couple more tricks up my sleeve.
It is ironic: I feel frustrated with helicopter parents who constantly hover over their children, relieving their children's distresses to the greatest extent of their ability. As a teacher, I have noticed a distinct pattern in children who are raised like this: because their parents rescue them and protect them at every turn and make their lives as comfortable and painless as possible, these very children are the ones who by FAR struggle the most with confidence issues. They have no ability or desire to acquire even a modicum of independence. These helicopter parents unwittingly create people who lack the necessary confidence to become independent as they grow older. The result? Adults who cannot function successfully in society because fear of the unknown holds them back from becoming who they were created to be. (aka: me)
Herein lies the irony: I, on the other hand, constantly beg God to rescue me. It has been lost on me until yesterday that I have been spent years begging God to be the helicopter parent and rescue me from every distressful situation, BUT He has wisely refused! :) I can see that God keeps pushing this "confidence" issue with me. He is determined to continually put me in positions that require me to step up and confront my challenges.
I had to silently smile at God yesterday because His perseverance is finally paying off! I do feel like I can handle a lot more around the house without panicking. I am so glad that He stuck with me. It feels good to feel good. :) It is an strange feeling, one that I hope to grow accustomed to!
If God had agreed to be the helicopter parent that I thought I needed, He would have robbed me of the blessing of confidence. Obviously we know that God is not a thief--Satan is the thief. So instead of answering my requests to ease my distress, He has blessed me with a little bit more confidence in myself (through HIM).
Back to the children ... it is truly a delight to see children who have an excellent balance of confidence and respect for authority at such a young age. I would NEVER propose a "hands-off" parenting policy (on the contrary), but it seems logical that as our children grow up, we train them how to do more and more for themselves--we provide support and encouragement as they attempt to flutter their wings in preparation for their flight in this big world. We also allow them to fail, and we guide them through the failures. Learning how to fail is as necessary as learning how to be successful.
In this scenario, I am clearly the child, and God is the GOOD parent, supporting me, taking over when I'm in too far over my head (see this post), and guiding me when the project is within the realm of my capability.
He's my good Daddy, who, because of His unfailing love, helps me all the time.
His guidance takes on so many unique forms. Sometimes when I'm doing a project, an idea just comes to me out of the blue; I know that it was He who gave me the idea, as if He were standing right next to me in a physical form.
I love my good Daddy. :)
I was listening to this song today. I love it because the lyrics remind me of how powerful and good God is.
Yesterday I mustered the courage to fix a slow drain in my bathroom sink, and in my attempt to unclog the drain, I now still have a slow drain, but my novice plumbing skills compounded the problem by adding a leaky pipe to the situation. :D
I have been attempting to fix both problems for two days. It shouldn't be hard, but it is frustrating.
It is interesting how facing challenges grows us in unique ways, huh?
I dealt with the slow drain several months ago, so I wasn't scared to do that, but when the pipe started leaking, I began to feel the fear and panic rise. Initially, I was very proud of myself because I can see that my fears of the unknown (in terms of household maintenance) have significantly lessened in the past few years. I felt ready to take on the challenge of a slow drain. It feels weird to say that something so simple can be so scary to me, but it's true.
When the fear and panic began to well up in me yesterday as the pipe began leaking and a million "worst-case" scenarios and questions began flooding my brain, I realized that I was able to control my feelings quickly. I chose instead to believe that God would equip me to fix the problems successfully. I remembered the Scripture He gave me several years ago (Isaiah 55:5--"For your Maker is your Husband.") I prayed and asked God to help me. He has. Today the leak became significantly better. There is now just a very small, steady drip. I will work on it more later today, and I have a couple more tricks up my sleeve.
It is ironic: I feel frustrated with helicopter parents who constantly hover over their children, relieving their children's distresses to the greatest extent of their ability. As a teacher, I have noticed a distinct pattern in children who are raised like this: because their parents rescue them and protect them at every turn and make their lives as comfortable and painless as possible, these very children are the ones who by FAR struggle the most with confidence issues. They have no ability or desire to acquire even a modicum of independence. These helicopter parents unwittingly create people who lack the necessary confidence to become independent as they grow older. The result? Adults who cannot function successfully in society because fear of the unknown holds them back from becoming who they were created to be. (aka: me)
Herein lies the irony: I, on the other hand, constantly beg God to rescue me. It has been lost on me until yesterday that I have been spent years begging God to be the helicopter parent and rescue me from every distressful situation, BUT He has wisely refused! :) I can see that God keeps pushing this "confidence" issue with me. He is determined to continually put me in positions that require me to step up and confront my challenges.
I had to silently smile at God yesterday because His perseverance is finally paying off! I do feel like I can handle a lot more around the house without panicking. I am so glad that He stuck with me. It feels good to feel good. :) It is an strange feeling, one that I hope to grow accustomed to!
If God had agreed to be the helicopter parent that I thought I needed, He would have robbed me of the blessing of confidence. Obviously we know that God is not a thief--Satan is the thief. So instead of answering my requests to ease my distress, He has blessed me with a little bit more confidence in myself (through HIM).
Back to the children ... it is truly a delight to see children who have an excellent balance of confidence and respect for authority at such a young age. I would NEVER propose a "hands-off" parenting policy (on the contrary), but it seems logical that as our children grow up, we train them how to do more and more for themselves--we provide support and encouragement as they attempt to flutter their wings in preparation for their flight in this big world. We also allow them to fail, and we guide them through the failures. Learning how to fail is as necessary as learning how to be successful.
In this scenario, I am clearly the child, and God is the GOOD parent, supporting me, taking over when I'm in too far over my head (see this post), and guiding me when the project is within the realm of my capability.
He's my good Daddy, who, because of His unfailing love, helps me all the time.
His guidance takes on so many unique forms. Sometimes when I'm doing a project, an idea just comes to me out of the blue; I know that it was He who gave me the idea, as if He were standing right next to me in a physical form.
I love my good Daddy. :)
I was listening to this song today. I love it because the lyrics remind me of how powerful and good God is.
Comments