Nearsighted Vision

Some of you may have seen on Facebook that I was hoping to write a blog post yesterday. Well, yesterday turned into today. Yesterday...ah yesterday. There are no words for you. And you also kindly spilled into today. Yesterday started out as a beautiful idea God gave me and somehow morphed into utter chaos. I started the day by reading the fruits of the Spirit to the kids and helping them (and myself) choose one to work on. I also introduced a new facet of our discipline process, which is: stopping at the very moment the child(ren) has a hard time choosing to listen and praying for God to help them make the right choice. Sounds like an awesome plan, right? Well, for whatever reason, my two older kids decided that there new favorite pass time is lets-see-how-mad-we-can-make-Mommy-before-she-goes-insane. Tucker literally thinks its a game, Ava just goes along with it and adds her own twist by being blatently disobedient AND extremely confrontational. So, I am thinking...Maybe the idea God gave me (about reading the fruits of the Spirit every morning and praying with the kids at the moment they choose to obey or disobey) is such an awesome idea that the devil literally can't stand it. Yeah, I am going to go with that. As Ephesians 6:12 tells us, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." When the devil sees that I am imprinting on my childrens souls the automatic reaction to pray when unsure of what to do is a direct threat to him in his ability to pursuade them away from God's plan for them. And because of this, it seems as though all hell has broken loose in my house. But now that I can see this for what it is, its easier to handle. We were all spun out, going totally crazy. Now I can refocus on my goal: raising children who have a passion for the Lord. Sometimes I feel so nearsighted regarding the day to day goings on in my life and forget about the further vision that God has for myself and my family. I am so caught up in, "what the h--- is wrong with these kids" I can't see it for what it is. Something far more than just kids acting badly.
Thank you Jesus for sorting out my problems through writing this blog. It is not always easy to sit down and write, but when I do you take my nearsightedness and turn it into long range xray vision that allows me to see into the future and into the things unseen. You are a parent yourself so you know how I feel. I love your comfort and understanding Lord. Thank you :-)