A Heart of Flesh

My little princess lay in her bed with tears streaming down her cheeks and that little sound in her voice like she couldn’t catch her breath. “Mommy, I am just used to doing bad. I can’t make better choices there is too much bad in my heart.”She is almost six years old and those words coming out of her little mouth were just…well I don’t know…I was struggling with my response. Her choice of words left me somewhere between heart broken and pleased that she had at some point paid attention to something I had said.

She is my rebel slash little rascal. She has a mind of her own and a great big powerful will to go along with it. She challenges my authority and my patience on a daily bases. She is also always ready to play and have fun. My lap is her favorite seat. She loves as big as her attitude. She is a blessing.

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” Ezekiel 36:25-27

“Mommy, I am just used to doing bad. I can’t make better choices there is too much bad in my heart.”She opened the door wide for a little chat about Jesus that night. As I lay with her we talked about how we all have that bad stuff in our hearts. Jesus is the one who can make our hearts clean. He gives us a new heart, a heart of flesh. His Spirit lives in our hearts and is there to guide us. It was a beautiful little chat we had.

Over the last few weeks God has been showing me the importance of authority in our lives. My daughter has such an issue with all this bad stuff in her heart because she is not willing to trust in my authority. When she is disobedient she is choosing to follow her own will. She fails to see that I love her and want the best for her that my instructions for her are not to hurt or punish her.

I pray for all my children that they will learn to trust in my authority. I know they won’t always like it but that is not the point. Trusting and obeying is. This is not just about me wanting obedient children, of course I do, but more than anything I want them to understand better how they need to relate to their Heavenly Father. As they grow in their relationship with God, as they learn more and more about Him and His commands. I pray that they will see that more than any person, they can trust in their Heavenly Father and they can be obedient when its hard because of who they know their God is.

We all need that makeover. God changing out our hearts of stone for hearts of flesh. I am reminded each day I spend with my children of my own struggle with authority. I can relate to how difficult it is for them to be obedient because I have been there. But God has traded out that heart of stone for a heart of flesh and because of the Spirit within me I can follow Him.

Lord, I pray for my relationship with my children. I pray Lord that I can be the mom they need. Help me to be consistent in discipline and to follow through. Help them to see that they need you they need a heart of flesh Lord so that they can not only respond appropriately to me but also to you.