the normal...

My parents will be here in 2 weeks. My computer is jacked up (I think and hope it`s fixable, but I don`t know anything about that stuff and don`t have the desire to even mess with it. bah!). This Saturday, some friends and I will spend the afternoon having a cooking day... we did one about a month and a half ago, and it was really fun. I`ve said I`ll make a dessert, but I can`t decide yet which one to make. I got a box in the mail from Rebecca with a few bday goodies and some things for housemates and a friend and a little horse and cow for J. He has been mooing and neighing all afternoon.
Today I had my morning/afternoon off, which was a real blessing because yesterday was a rough day between J. and myself: Before he went to bed, he lost every single toy he owns, one at a time, and several privileges... all for attitude, sass, and disobedience. But as I was dealing with him, I remembered the verse about God`s mercies being new every morning, so after he was asleep I put everything back in his room (but he still lost the privileges, like going to the bakery or to the park with his tricycle or playing the guitar).
Today I prayed a lot for his hitting issues and the root causes, and I also prayed a lot for my reactions to his disobedience and disrespect. Please join me in these prayers, friends.
I don`t need to take his disrespect as a personal offense or as any sort of reflection on my worth or identity. While I recognize that on the intellectual level, "the coins haven`t dropped" (that is to say, it hasn`t sunk in to the heart-level and made a visceral difference in my life). And that understanding is something I can`t do myself... it`s the work of the spirit. I take encouragement in that, and in knowing that his grace is sufficient, for his power is made perfect in weakness, and that he uses my failures to call me and draw me to himself.