IF you're a parent you know that sometimes the best lessons you learn come from your children.
Over the last week I have started to take note of Owen saying, "Mommy, are you happy now?" after having some type of success . Something about it hasn't sat well with me and I have let it soak in for the last couple days. Here is what I have come up with:
I do not want Owen to learn that my happiness is defined by my circumstances. Easier said than done, right?
What I have been saying, "it makes mommy happy when you ________ (usually has to do with potty successes, obeying, etc.)" and what I am not doing is communicating to Owen the true joy that I receive from him (the existence of him, not what he does and doesn't do), from the many blessings we have been given and the incomparable joy that comes from being close to God.
When examining the Psalms this is what I found: "
Happy are the people whose strength is in You..
.Happy is the man who fears the LORD, taking great delight in His commandments.....
happy are those who uphold justice, who practice righteousness at all times... LORD,
happy is the person who trusts in You....
happy is the man who has put his trust in the LORD....
Happy are the people who know the joyful shout; LORD, they walk in the light of Your presence."
Isn't it funny what things we get distracted by: jobs, school, success, new homes, children's successes (ehm' yes, potty training... only parents of boys understand this triumphant milestone). We toil and labor, become happy and then unhappy as we move on to the next thing that will "make us happy." Yet, there is not one biblical promise that these things bring happiness. There is one thing that stands out to me in all of these scriptures. Happiness comes not from circumstance, but from being and choosing to continue to walk in presence of God.
Although I'd like to believe this is something I have known in my heart... when it comes to teaching Owen it has helped me to consistently reexamine where I am getting my joy and on a much more practical level.. What I have begun to say when Owen says "Mommy, are you happy now?" is "I am SO proud of you. And I am always happy, because God helps me to be happy."
Simple, yet so profound.
Are you happy now?
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