Sleeping booty

Last night, Mom was headed to tennis lessons and some much needed alone time.  And Dad, well, it was now my turn at the helm of this new crew of ours.  So with a decision to eat out at Okinawa, we piled into the van.

I love spending time with our kids.  I love listening to our kids talk in the car. They can say some of the silliest and most profound things to each other.

As I put in the movie Frozen, I was quickly reminded that I was not allowed to skip the commercials.  The kids wanted to see all of the other movies coming out.  

I could here, "Once Upon a Dream" playing on the DVD as an advertisement for a new release of Sleeping Beauty due out later this year was playing.

"What is this movie?  What is this movie called?!?" Came the question from one of our oldest sons.

I could hear a familiar mumbling between our kids begin to arise as they tried so hard to answer the question, all the while refusing to break fixation with the DVD in play.  

With a realization, and an understanding, the once pondering child now assuredly answers loudly, in beautiful Chinglish, 

"Oh!  Sleeping Booty!"  I've seen Sleeping Booty!"

My heart sets and waits for moments such as these.  An innocent moment, now setting all alone, becomes easy prey to my ever ready ability to quickly react to the blunder.  That alone reveals so much of my heart.  "Lord save me!"-  Matt:14:30.  Save me from myself. 

But as I listened, the back seat of our van didn't not erupt with laughter.  It was business as usual.  No condemnation.  No judgment.  Just love.  Maybe an understanding that one day, he'll say it correctly, but until then, we'll just go with it.  I don't know exactly what it was, but it was beautiful.  It was love.  It wasn't focus on a blunder or a mis-step.  It was looking past and looking to.

How often I have been so quick to judge others.  Whether out of fear, or even worse, the mask of fear, sarcasm.  It has been shameful, and it has grieved His spirit.  

Lord!  Teach me to have mercy, to be graceful, and how to love. Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Psalms 86. Even through my kids.

Find comfort in Him.  Find love.  Find that bondage to Him, in lies freedom.  Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Psalms 34:8