My Little Fighter

Today as I was struggling to tame my almost 2 yr old's fierce temper, I had an incredible insight.  

My son is a fighter.  He's got this little streak of stubbornness that is very tame when he's carefree and happy. 

Get him upset about something, and he can fight for all he's worth until he has exhausted all his strength.   

Courtesy - Google images

Some might see this fight within him as a problem or something that needs to be broken, yet I see this as a good thing! 

Yes, for a parent it is definitely a challenge!  However, as a woman from church told me once, the key is to get your child to use that fight for good, not bad.  

My greatest desire is for my children to love and live for Jesus so much more than I ever have.  Yet living for Christ is not an easy thing to do.  Like a soldier, a man or woman who loves Jesus must be strong, devoted, and unwavering.  They must be ready to give up their lives and sacrifice comforts and many earthly pleasures for the greater power.  They must be sure of their job and they must be noble. They MUST read God's word, the Bible, and write it on their hearts and minds. You cannot have a soldier who cannot fight or one who will run away when things get tough.  And living as a Christian, every day is tough.  Every choice you make can be threatened by temptation.  God gives us power, but you have to fight strong to seek the Kingdom of God first.  If you waver from this fight, you can be choked up by the weeds and temptations of the world and your faith can wither.

This brings me back to today’s struggle with my little boy.  He did not want to do what I told him. It was a simple instruction, but he decided to outright disobey me. He wanted his way, and he was ready to fight to get his way until he was limp with exhaustion.  I told him over and over that he would not win this battle.  That I would win, and he could get up as soon as he obeyed me. I told him that God gave him to me to teach him how to grow up to love Jesus, and that meant I was the boss right now.   

He fought me and screamed for about 20 min until finally he went limp and lay still.  It was at this moment that I was able to have his attention and he was ready to listen.  This is what I told him:  

 “You are a fighter.  That is a GOOD thing!  Don’t stop fighting, but don’t fight for yourself.  Be a fighter for Jesus!   I love you, and I want you to grow up to be a good man who loves others more than yourself.  That is why you need to obey me.  I want you to love Jesus and be a fighter FOR Jesus.”  

Now I understand that he probably didn't understand all that I said, but one thing he DOES know is that Jesus loves him.  I have been telling him that almost every day of his life.  If he doesn't understand it all now, I pray that if I keep telling him to be a fighter for Jesus, he will grow into a man that loves Jesus more than anything else he can attain in this world.  That when life grows hard and people are against him, he will praise God and seek to further God’s kingdom.  It is my prayer that he will love others more than himself, and especially those who hate him, hurt him, or slander him.  I pray that he will not fight these people because he feels he was treated unjustly.  Those are the people who need Jesus so desperately.  If all is taken away from him, he will know that he still has God, and that God will never be taken from him, and God will always keep him strong. 

I am so happy that Elijah is a fighter.  I want him to be a fighter.  I will tell him this every time he fights me.  I will also continue to tell him that he shouldn't be a fighter for himself, but to always fight for Jesus Christ.