I was dropping my oldest off at school this morning. I believe he is a 'words' kid, so I try to encourage him as mush as possible before he begins his day, being a light at his school.
Me: Have a good day! Your awesome! Have fun! I love you!
He gets out of the car, goes to close the door, looks at me and says, 'Anything else?'
I smiled and said, 'Your amazing'!
That seemed to be sufficient, he ran off grinning from ear to ear, waving at me as far as he could see me.
It hit me then.
'All you have to do is ask.' That quiet voice spoke to my spirit.
How often does our Father love to lavish us with encouragement and praise? How often do we need to hear it?
How often do we actually ask?
I was humbled by Cy's response to me this morning. There was no embarrassment or hesitation, he needed more, so he asked, and I was glad to deliver. I love my son more than I can say. So how much more does our Father love us, and how much more does he absolutely love and delight in building us up and encouraging us?
I think one of the biggest lies of the enemy is to get in our ears and repeat to us over and over that we should feel guilty. Guilty for not doing enough. Guilty for doing too much. So guilty that we could never imagine that our Father actually delights in our every move, that He is just waiting to lavish us with His praises of us. After all, He alone created us. And guess what? He knew we would screw up, a lot. Its not our job to beat ourselves up. It is our responsibility to ask forgiveness, get up, and move on. And it is totally ok to ask our Father for help as well as words and actions to lift us back up and keep moving forward.
I needed this reminder today. I am understanding more and more why He calls us to be like a 'little child'. Messy, real, and genuine.
