Day 6 - Good Girl, Bad Girl

It is amazing to me how one day with a toddler can reach so many highs and yet hit so many lows all in the same 12 hours. For instance, Jocelyn can have a great morning. We play, she eats breakfast like a champ, she entertains herself and is content. But after she wakes up from her nap, it's like a new child emerges! She's moody, whiny, needs attention every minute of the hours. These polar opposite behaviors drive m batty! In some ways I feel that this behavior keeps me on my toes because I never know what to expect. On the other hand, I wish she would just stay content with what I have to offer her. I wonder how frustrated God gets with us when one minute we are perfectly content with Him and the next we rebel because we get restless. My sinful nature is a fact. It starts before birth and continues all of my life. In a book about Mary (the mother of Jesus) by Francine Rivers, she illustrates how Mary might have felt raising Jesus versus her other children. Jesus was content and only needed basic human things like food and sleep. The other children like James were so much more difficult in comparison. They needed attention and love from her whereas Jesus got all he needed from his Father God. My point is that I will always struggle with this dual personality in myself and my daughter because we are fallen.  When I get frustrated with my toddler, I need to remember that she is human just like me and show her the same compassion and grace that God shows me every day when He has run ins with my double personalities.

Genesis Chapter 3

Jenna