Maddie struggles with whining excessively, has selective hearing, likes to do what she wants to do when she wants to do it,will often loose it with others while playing when a toy is taken or a offense has been done to her. We have gone over verses which remind her and I (I need the reminders just as much as Maddie). Such verses as, Do everything without grumbling and complaining so that you will prove yourselves children of God approve reproach in the midst of croaked and perverse generation. I don’t know about you but that sounds like serious business, croaked and perverse generation. Through Maddie’s promptness to obey Mark and I, without grumbling and complaining, with a joyful attitude is a ministry and light to a perverse and croaked generation. Yet, having a joyful attitude and resisting grumbling and complaning is something the flesh can be trained to overcome.
What does all this have to do with a Hershey kiss? I am calling this the secret sweetness. Secret because the sweetness is not going to come out all the time, neither from the Hershey kiss, nor from Maddie. I will be watching her and observing her as she goes about the day. If she is listening and obeying quickly and promptly, when she has cleaned her room without being asked, if she obeys without whining, if I see her showing love and kindness to a sibling, cousin, or friend. Anything directed towards the little person God wants her to be may be rewarded with a secret sweetness, one Hershey kiss. The kisses will not come out all the time because I want Maddie to learn that sweetness needs to come out weather we are rewarded or not. Thinking of others, obeying Mommy and daddy needs to be done because she chooses to do it, not because she is getting something for doing it. However, if Hersey kisses begin her journey to consciously making Godly choices than sign me up, I’m all for it.
Implementing Creative Correction #1 Underway! I will share more implementations as the Lord brings them to mind! I will also report back in how the implementing worked or what we had to switch or why they didn’t work! The journey of training the spirit and disciplining the flesh has begun!