As any parent knows, if you play with your kids enough, sooner or later you are going to get injured. It could be that a little one pokes you in the eye, perhaps a head “bonk” to the nose, perhaps a toy is left out that causes a tumble…the list goes on and on of potential dangers. Some days parenting is like a factory boasting “100 days injury-free,” while other days are like an underwriter’s worst nightmare.
As rocker, Sheryl Crow, learned recently, “mommy injuries” aren’t just for normal folks. “Kid-cidents,” occur no matter what your age, income, or celebrity status! Crow posted an instagram picture of herself wearing an eye patch the other day with the hashtag “#mommyinjury,” after getting hit with a tennis ball by one of her little ones. Some things are unavoidable no matter who you are. As I pointed out in a recent lesson, even Superman has to wait for the cable guy to be there between 1pm and 4pm!
Even with all the fame and fortune, Crow had a good attitude and admitted to a simple fact of life, “so this is what happens when you play tennis with your toddler.” When injured by our kids, we laugh about it because we know our kids aren’t trying to hurt us. Kids don’t always have control over what they do. They are learning how to be responsible and what kind of behavior is appropriate. Learning and growing are frustrating experiences…sometimes more for the teacher than the student!
Now imagine how God feels with so many children; all are learning, growing, and making mistakes. The apostle John addresses his readers as “little children,” reminding us of our place before God. As children of God, our daily missteps are the “injuries” of children who are learning. His amazing calm in the face of our collective “eye-poking” overwhelms me. He loves, comforts, and gently picks us up time and time again.
In trying to follow Christ, let’s train up our children in the way that is right (Proverbs 22:6), helping them to know and obey without exasperating them (Ephesians 6:1-4), but never hinder them from a path to the Lord (Mark 10:14). And let’s have the right attitude the next time a “kid-cident” rolls along.
