Bring on the drama! And spiritual warfare....

***If you never read the original post and comments you can click here to start from the beginning***

I have been feeling SOOO free in the Lord since yesterday when I went before Him and confessed the realization of my sins from the Publix incident! What an amazing thing to know that we serve a forgiving God who won't quit till He has completed the work!

I have to say that I've been a quite queasy and nervous about being so open as to confess the depths of my pathetic and childish sins before all of you blog readers. But I did it in part for accountability, in part for a healthy dose of humility, and in hopes that it would encourage other mothers of little ones as they read about my ugly struggles with my sinful nature and hopefully they can think, "Well at least I'm not as bad as her!!!" :)

Again... I have felt so free and such a close communion with the Lord since the confession of my sins! And after my MOPS meeting this morning and our awesome speaker, I left there with the idea of mothering with grace more in the forefront of my mind. Coincidence from my ordeal with my kids yesterday? I think not!!! God is a masterful God who weaves our experiences together in such a way so that we can experience MAXIMUM impact when He's working on something within us!

Now. What is par for the course after an awesome spiritual realization such as this? Satan coming right behind and bursting your bubble. I should realize that after being so open and honest about my glaring faults that it opens me up to criticism. I guess that's to be expected. And after reading the last ANONYMOUS comment on my post from yesterday I'm so tempted to crumble up into a little crying ball and lock myself in my room for the rest of the night and not show my face for a couple of weeks. But, I obviously can't do that, right? But at the least I can address it.

Anonymous: I find it interesting you waited until you got in the car to pop those balloons. Were you afraid of what others would say if you had simply done it in the parking lot or outside of the store? I'm curious.

To be honest..I was SO flustered at the checkout with the chaos of my 2-year-old that I couldn't even think straight. My only thought was to get them into the car and out of that store as quickly as possible so that they could stop driving the other shoppers NUTS! It did not occur to me at the time that they did not, in fact, deserve a balloon and that I should have asked the cashier to please refrain from giving one to them. I was a mom in crisis!!! LOL!!!

It was when I got back to the car that I was able to catch my breath. Then I realized the severity of my children's behavior that I just experienced and decided that I would not allow them to have a balloon. We were already driving down the road when I explained to them that they were not going to be able to keep their balloons because of their misbehavior. I did not pop them to be malicious, actually! It just seemed the quickest course of action once I took them from my children and put them in the front seat so that the balloons wouldn't impede my vision while I was trying to drive. There was a pen right next to me and it was quick and easy. I honestly don't mind who would've seen me say, "No" to my children about the balloons, or who would've seen me pop them, for that matter.

Thanks for being curious, Anonymous, and letting me explain.


Anonymous: It sounds like you're the one who needs a lesson in being grateful i.e. in your words-hogging the computer, throwing temper tantrums.

Well, YES! That's what the whole last half of my post was about! I DO need lessons in being grateful!! For my loving and hard-working husband! For my children who are gifts from the Lord!! And I am so aware of my selfishness, now! But thank you for re-iterating it for me...

Anonymous: One day someone will pop a balloon of yours-then see how you feel.

My father, who raised me till I was 14, was a raging alcoholic...so I have had more than my share of proverbial balloons popped of my own. Trust me. Only it wasn't done out of discipline, but an alcoholic's sickness and violent nature.

Anonymous: If this truth hurts, maybe you should reevaluate your methods. While I appreciate your honesty, I can't get the image of your childrens faces in that car when you popped their balloon.

You're right about that. It was unfortunate that me taking their balloons away was in the form of me popping them. I wish that I would have had the wits about me to not have let them have the balloons at the register. But it was too late by then. And I simply couldn't, as a mother who loves her children and believes in disciplining them when they've misbehaved, allow them to keep the balloons and enjoy them. The basis of this belief comes from the Bible, which I believe is infallible and without error.

He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.
Proverbs 13:24

Anonymous: They aren't trying to be malicious-they are being kids.

They are sinners. They were born sinners, as all kids are, and so was I and so were you, Anonymous. The Lord has entrusted these children to me and I take it very seriously that one day I will go before Him and be accountable for the way I raised them. I also take it very seriously my duty to teach them right from wrong. Their behavior in the grocery store was unacceptable and wrong. It warranted correction. While many kids may behave that way, it doesn't make it right. And my husband and I both feel very strongly that the way I ultimately handled this was the right way to go. He just wishes that I would have never let them have the balloon in the first place! :)

So Anonymous, I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to respond to you. I just wish that you could reveal your identity next time you comment so that I can understand where you are coming from. Please don't be offended, but I gather that you don't have young children in the house and that you don't see the Bible as a book that should be taken literally and as total truth.

OH...and one other thing. I see on my live traffic map doohickus that you are accessing a server from Christiansburg, VA to read my blog. Man, oh man! I guess the only two people I know personally that would be reading my blog from that area today are my sister-in-law and my mother-in-law!! YIKES!!! But, I don't think that you are either of them, (at least I hope not!!!) because I know their beliefs about raising children and I think that they are in agreement with disciplining children that behave like my children did in a grocery store. Again...at least I hope so!!! Lord help me if I'm wrong!!!!!