The Opportunity Is Always Present…
Life is a glorious process which brings so many opportunities to Love and to be Loved. Recently, I was talking with a very dear friend of mine who is raising a beautiful child in the form of a daughter. This is a single parent relationship that I can relate to at many earthly levels for myself.
The broken home with the yoke of abandonment is nothing but a cry for Love. What is Love? To me, Love is the power of agreement with our Creator! And we learn that each of US are also Creators and we certainly are a part of the One Creator…!
A child, through an opportunity that can quail the heart and the mind, wants to know the Truth of Love more than anything else. The question is – what does that look like when we are dealing with a child?
As far as a child is concerned, what is the Truth of Love? It’s a stance of care and absolute discipline and training that holds no reaction to the forms, or to the reactive mind and emotions. Whoever might be reading this, do you ever get upset with your child? Why bother? That’s not the Truth of Love. While punishment with an attitude of joy may sound a little absurd, it’s really not. Let me try to paint a picture.
When a child acts inappropriately, he/she needs to be brought to point immediately, or as soon as possible. And if the severity of the inappropriate act requires some form of punishment or discipline, it should be directed through an attitude of lightless. Without getting upset, you might consider saying to the child, ” Oh yes, you knew exactly what would come from your act. So let’s get through this in a way so you remember that it’s more enjoyable to act appropriately. What you did has now earned you this________ (whatever the punishment is)”. And you say to the child, “I am not upset with you, because you know better. I am merely going to make sure that you REMEMBER the ‘effect’ your act has had in your life. Now you get to remember this so that nothing else has to happen to make your relearn the lesson.” And you say this to the child (or words and tone to this effect) with a big smile! There is no anger – just understanding and Love!
When a child realizes that they are not getting you upset, it changes everything. A child wants joy – a child wants a rock that is formed by the Truth of Love. When a child realizes that they are connected to a “Rock” that is born of the Truth of Love, they find complete security for themselves.
When I was in the US Navy, I rose to different points of leadership and as I did so it was conveyed to me, and to all of us, that there are no bad sailors or soldiers – just bad leaders! I never forgot that truth! As we each align ourselves with Spirit through the context of the Truth of Love, we know all that is needed to do the job of Spirit in the present moment!
Children are but mirrors for adults! When we feel like they got our goat,it’s nothing but us looking into a very big mirror.
I love being a parent and I feel that we are all parents of each other’s children, and also to each other. The oldest adult that I know is really just a big kid too! Being childlike is a beautiful thing! Spirit Blesses the Child in each of us! Let’s Love each other with care, grace and patience through the Creative Process. What a marvelous opportunity that we have! Praise the Lord!
December 13th, 2007 at 8:29 am
Parenthood–it seemed like such a good “idea.” I had just returned from a very generative retreat/workshop when the impulse to become a mother bubbled up from within. It was as if a penny had dropped and I responded immediately, “Of course!” At the ripe old age of 47, I figured I had been well prepared for this step. Hadn’t I devoted the past 25 years of my life in service to God? Hadn’t I chosen the field of education for my worldly sphere of work? Wasn’t I connected with a very special family, drawn together by Spirit, that would welcome my daughter-to-be and lovingly help in raising her as a child of God?
Such were my feelings and thoughts as I set off half way around the world to bring my dark-eyed beauty home. Her deep brown eyes and fiery spirit gave evidence of a powerful Being, ready to emerge in an atmosphere of heavenly home and family.
Wow, was I ever in for a surprise. The areas in which I felt “prepared” were soon revealed to be made of clay and as our life together unfolded, I was brought to my knees. I had to look in the mirror of my daughter’s eyes and see how I had subsituted forms and patterns in my life for the fluidity of momentary living. I had to acknowledge that in fashioning my life around my concept of service and devotion, I had in fact squeezed the juiciness and joy of True Living and Loving out of it.
The details of our journey are really beside the point now. What matters is that this awesome crucible called motherhood has brought me back to the eternal starting point–the Source of Life, the place of Love. I am rediscovering that when I give all of my attention to loving, my perspective on everything changes. Seemingly troubling factors recede and can easily be encompassed from a place of stillness and Love. I give myself permission to be childlike also, and in that space am closer to being a true parent. The greatest miracle is that this process has moved me along to a point where I can offer the same quality of loving care to all I encounter in my daily living–and isn’t that why we came into this world–to let the loving expression of the Lord take form in this beautiful Earth. I appreciate your clear expression and the opportunity it gives me to agree and magnify the Word of Truth.