real

i went on a women's retreat a few weeks ago..and one of the things that stalked me when i got home was a truth that I learned about keeping it real. i try to keep it real..tell the bad and the ugly stuff...but at this retreat, it occurred to me that, while keeping it real, i can tend to complain or grumble about the plate that the Lord has handed me...today i am just wanting to tell a goody...a gift the Lord gave me today through Jackson.

the past month or so jackson has really been struggling with perfectionism..and we have also been learning the letters of his name. How the perfectionism manifests itself in learning his letters is..let me give you an example: Last Friday we were doing chalk letters outside on the sidewalk...jackson would go FAR away from me and write his letters in secret.  He called me over to see his "J" after he finished many minutes of drawing letters. I came over and was so excited about all that he had done..he did an "A" and a "C" AND the "J" that he wanted to show me. I was so proud of him. But he started crying..saying that the "A" and the "C" were actually a ladder and a man consecutively...I knew that they were letters that he didn't like, so he was making them into something else.  The only thing I could do is pray for that little man's heart that he will Know the truth..that Jesus is the only perfect one and we can enjoy the freedom of relying on Him for His grace amidst our shortcomings.

so fast forward to today. today i sat with jackson at the writing table and we were working on writing his name again..he wrote the whole thing (i helped with the k and the s--and he let me!) and had a smile on his face the WHOLE TIME!  The name wasn't written perfectly..but He enjoyed writing it..and he completed it without making a letter into a ladder or a man!

as i was putting a load into the laundry, I remembered that smile that he had on his face...

the Lord used me to teach my son to write his name AND to teach my little man an important truth in His word...and I see growth!

i got goose bumps in that moment.