"The Look"
" . . . him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer. Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me."Psalm 101: 5b-6
I had noticed "the look" for quite some time – the raising of the eyebrows, the rolling of the eyes, the tilt of the head – all in an act of contempt, a disregard for the rules of the house. To some, it may be considered a "little girl thing", but to me, her mother, it aroused a fear of a greater underlying problem – that of a wrong heart attitude.
Each time I saw this behavior, I brought it to my daughter's attention, corrected her, and voiced my concern. Yet, the actions continued.
One day she had a little friend over to spend the afternoon, and I noticed that she, too, was exhibiting this same behavior, but seemingly to a greater degree. My older children commented, "Megan sure has an attitude, Mom. You better keep little sis away from her."
Later in the day, after Megan had gone home, I pulled my "child of concern" aside. "Your older siblings seem to think that Megan has an attitude. What do you think?" This opened a door of discussion. My young daughter could not ignore the exhibit of behavior in her little friend. It was that evident.
"Now do you see why I have concern for you?" I was able to conclude to my daughter. "I love you too much to lose your heart. I think it may be best to minimize your association with Megan for awhile; at least until YOU get your heart attitude right."
Our immediate concern needs to be for our own children. They are the ones whom the Lord has entrusted to us. When God brings a problem to our attention, it needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. Taking it to the Lord in prayer will open us up to His wisdom and guidance in addressing the issue. He will direct us to the root and help us to dig it out.
This is one of the challenges of parenting – being aware of "sin tendencies" in our children, and a weakness that they may have, which can cause Satan to gain a foothold in their lives.
Sometimes this involves a separation from acquaintances, or shielding them from those of similar tendencies, to enable our child to gain personal victory. We may need to redirect them to those who can pull them up, rather than drag them down.
A "high look and a proud heart" will not warrant God's blessings, but rather His favor will be upon the faithful, who desire to walk in His Ways. As mothers, we need to point our children down this path. And with God's help to be attune to anything that would hinder this walk.
Prayer: O Lord, mothering entails so much! And often times I feel overwhelmed. Help me to stay grounded in Your Word, so I can be attentive to Your leading. I ask for YOUR wisdom in raising these children for You!
