By Maria Rodgers O'Rourke
God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth."
Genesis 8:12-13
One night at the dinner table, our eight-year-old daughter was stalling, refusing to eat her corn. Our rule is that if you don't eat your whole dinner, including the vegetable, you don't get any dessert or snacks later. On this particular night, she felt so strongly about not eating her corn that she still left the vegetable on her plate, even when she was reminded of the rule.
As my daughter moved toward the family room, she spied a nearly empty bag of chips on the counter. She picked up the bag and put some in her mouth. I raised a finger and said, "Uh-uh [no]!" Immediately, she dashed to the trash can, opened her mouth, and pushed the chips into the can.
I was stunned! What a precious thing to do! I instantly scooped her into my arms and thanked her for her honesty. My hug caught her off guard; she pulled back at first, fearful of a reprimand. Instead, I kissed her and told her how proud I was of her. My heart was filled with overflowing love for this child who just a few minutes prior had been testing my patience to its limit.
A covenant is distinct from a contract in that a contract is based on living up to stated expectations while a covenant is based on relationship and love. If either of us fails in our duty, the contract is broken. As shown in his rainbow, God invites us into a covenant relationship with Him.
We are so blessed that God loves with covenant love. He helps moms to love first and enforce the rules later. When the rules are broken, both continue to love. The constant is love, no matter what.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you for helping me to love my children as you do, with delight and gratitude when they make loving choices, and with patience and abiding love when they need greater guidance. We trust in your divine providence for our lives. Amen.
God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth."
Genesis 8:12-13
One night at the dinner table, our eight-year-old daughter was stalling, refusing to eat her corn. Our rule is that if you don't eat your whole dinner, including the vegetable, you don't get any dessert or snacks later. On this particular night, she felt so strongly about not eating her corn that she still left the vegetable on her plate, even when she was reminded of the rule.
As my daughter moved toward the family room, she spied a nearly empty bag of chips on the counter. She picked up the bag and put some in her mouth. I raised a finger and said, "Uh-uh [no]!" Immediately, she dashed to the trash can, opened her mouth, and pushed the chips into the can.
I was stunned! What a precious thing to do! I instantly scooped her into my arms and thanked her for her honesty. My hug caught her off guard; she pulled back at first, fearful of a reprimand. Instead, I kissed her and told her how proud I was of her. My heart was filled with overflowing love for this child who just a few minutes prior had been testing my patience to its limit.
A covenant is distinct from a contract in that a contract is based on living up to stated expectations while a covenant is based on relationship and love. If either of us fails in our duty, the contract is broken. As shown in his rainbow, God invites us into a covenant relationship with Him.
We are so blessed that God loves with covenant love. He helps moms to love first and enforce the rules later. When the rules are broken, both continue to love. The constant is love, no matter what.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you for helping me to love my children as you do, with delight and gratitude when they make loving choices, and with patience and abiding love when they need greater guidance. We trust in your divine providence for our lives. Amen.
http://www.chickensoup.com
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