The way of the Lord

Naomi absolutely hates to wash her hair. Whenever I start lathering shampoo on her hair, she will scream her head off and cry hysterically (ok, maybe i'm a being little dramatic here, but it is somewhat to that extent). She is at the stage where she doesn't want to put on diapers and clothes (if given the chance!) and I remember my mother-in-law telling me that to get Naomi to put on her diaper, she actually told her that the birds would come and peck on her if she doesn't. And it worked! So, by the same rationale, I could scare Naomi and get her to comply! I then animatedly cooked up a story of monkeys coming to pull Naomi's hair should she not wash it and she fell for it! She willingly allowed me to wash her hair and kept saying that the monkeys were coming. I was ecstatic, for once, washing her hair was a breeze. However, my happiness was short-lived. 

Throughout the day, Naomi kept repeating to me that 'hu hu come, 怕怕' (the monkeys were coming, she was afraid). So much so that she refused to nap and sleep at night. She has even broken down in tears, fretting over the coming of those monkeys. I had to constantly assure her that those monkeys weren't coming and that I have had chased them away. Even then, I couldn't fully assuage her fears. While I was comforting Naomi, the spirit of God came upon me and spoke gently to my heart that this was something I needed to repent of and to ask of forgiveness from God and my daughter. 2 Timothy 1:7 came to mind. 'For God did not give us a spirit of fear or timidity, but one of love, power and self-control.' Who was I to instill fear into my daughter's heart to get her to obey? This is definitely not the way of the Lord. We have a loving Father who would not strike fear into our hearts just to get us to obey Him. He is a God of love and grace. I was immediately convicted of my sin and asked God and Naomi to forgive me. Thankfully, after two days, Naomi was sufficiently assured that the monkeys weren't after her and wasn't afraid. This was a priceless lesson that I have learnt in my parenting journey. Truly, the spirit of God leads and guides even though often times, I am clueless as a new parent. It is a reminder for me to lean upon the Lord in this parenting journey. I believe that by His grace, I will discover more of my Abba Father's heart for me, His child.