He Trains my hands for battle: How to combat the slumps and train our kids to do the same
“Mommy, I know why you sing. You sing when you are trying not to be angry.”
This guy is watching Mommy’s hands and heart be trained for battle- the battle for JOY
He trains my hands for battle; He strengthens my hands to bend a bow of bronze. You have given me your shield of victory. Your right hand supports me. Your help has made me great. You have made a wide path for me, to keep my feet from slipping.
Psalm 18:34-37
The little guy spilled the milk all over the already-spilled grits and eggs. It splatters all over table chairs and floors. An already-exhausted mother (you know I’m tired when we have breakfast for dinner) holds in every impulse to burst out in frustration, and instead bursts out singing. And that perceptive little boy, saw right into my battle strategy.
“Mommy, I know why you sing. You sing when you are trying not to be angry.”
With nerves short and energy levels low and mental and noise capacity maxed, there is a constant battle going on in my heart, and in my home. And my kids will either be the victim of the battle or they will be trained by my training in it. They are constantly watching mommy battle for it….or unfortunately fall victim to the battle.
A battle for joy.
A battle for strength.
A battle for perseverance.
A battle for patience.
A battle for the joy of the Lord to be my strength.
So I personally battle. Battle within-which transfers to battling without. And these five little soldiers are watching mommy get trained. Instead of yelling at my kids to “fall in line” and quit complaining, stop shirking their responsibilities and cease avoiding doing their chores. Instead of calling them to quit the bickering and fighting and irritating of each other, I must teach them to battle the same things I battle:
A complaining spirit.
A surrender to “weakness” and “lack of motivation”.
A desire to give up
A yielding to impatience.
A sinking into despair.
And we battle all of it with the gaze of our minds. A gaze of our hearts. Which can only be overcome with a gaze of praise. And singing through the storms is a sure training exercise that shifts that gaze. For each and every one of us.
