Uphill Somersaults

At a soccer game this weekend, I was distracted by a little girl trying to do a somersault - uphill. You can imagine this wasn't going so well! In fact, at one point, she was standing on her head for about 5 seconds, completely stuck. She was very determined, though, and finally she made it over (and up the hill).

It made me think about how many times in my life I've insisted on doing an uphill somersault. There have been many times in my life when God was leading me in a certain direction (like gravity was leading that little girl downhill), but I insisted on my own way. Watching her, I realized that God never gave up on me (just like gravity never gave up on the little girl), but he did let me go my own way. And I'm learning on my own that downhill somersaults are a lot easier...and a lot more fun.

As a parent, I have a tendency to want to be an irresistible force in my children's lives....gravity that can't be overcome....no uphill somersaults for the wee Turnage people if I can help it. But that's not the kind of parent God is. I still have a lot to learn. What things is God teaching you about parenting?

Kim