A missed opportunity

This raw, honest story from one mum shows how we all make mistakes, but those same mistakes can help us become more aware of opportunities to share Jesus with our children…

So what started as any other normal day this morning, turned into the house of chaos within moments of my feet touching the ground.  A broken heating system in below zero temperatures had meant we’d all camped out at my in laws for the night, including the little ‘hair friends’ my eldest daughter had generously brought home from school the day before.

Washing off delousing shampoo first thing, meant her gorgeous curly hair had turned into a bit of a frizz. Then, panic set in for my eight year old as we realised her costume for the class play was still neatly hanging inside her wardrobe at home, and not in the bag I had thrown together last night. At this point I had one child frantic about the crucial black hat and spotty dress and the other distraught at the fact that ‘everyone else has straight, shiny hair’ and questioning ‘why do I have to have curly, frizzy hair?’

We bundled into the car with tears and protests, picked up the all-important costume en-route and headed to school, missing a late mark with seconds to spare.

And breathe! As I sat in the car, making my way to my ‘real’ job of the day, I reflected on the frenzy of the past hour. And then it started … the guilt of being short tempered, the sadness that my little girl had gone into school upset with her image.  I could have used this morning to talk to her about how she is fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), that she is created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), and he delights in her and rejoices over her with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). But instead I told her not to be silly and didn’t really listen to her protests in the rush of the moment.

I am still learning ten years in, that there are many times where I don’t get it right, nor do I always seize the opportunity before me to point my children to God. But that’s ok! Being aware of the moments we miss can sometimes really help us to be intentional in the future. After all, we are ‘a work in progress that God is completing’  (Philippians 1:16).

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