Mom Heart Moments #166

Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.

WHEN JOEL WAS LITTLE, he played with Legos for hours a day. He would design elaborate cars, towns, houses, roadways —whatever he could imagine. When he was nine, he worked for months on a town that became an elaborate creation, around five feet wide. One day we hosted a new family for lunch, who had a boy Joel’s age. When they went to Joel’s room to play, the little boy rushed into the room and began hitting and destroying the whole of Joel’s creation before we could pull him away. The devastation was complete and broke the hearts of our whole family.

Joel seemed to have a cloud around him for several days. Time had taught me that he had a very strong sense of justice. Every time I sat down to talk with him, it was clear that he needed sympathy.

So I went into his room and sat down with him. “Joel, I can’t even imagine how bad this made you feel. I would be so hurt. What bothered you the most?”

“It was the injustice of it all. He had no right to be so destructive. I had never done anything to him. It took me almost a year to build all of these pieces. I just thought it was so unfair,” Joel ended with a sigh.

“I so understand and want you to know how very, very sorry I am. It was unkind and unjust.”

Then I prayed with him and blessed him.

That night, he said, “Mama, I think I can be strong now and build a whole new city. I just wanted someone to listen to me and to understand. Thanks, Mama.”

Do you know your children well enough to discern their needs when they are out of sorts? Ask the Lord to help you see into their hearts.