Day 8

9:5-11:4

Yesterday I mentioned I change the word "poor" to some other word, two different and unrelated words actually. I kept thinking "Yes, I need to work on loving this [word omitted] person, but I'll never seem them again." Oh gees. I'm praying to change my thoughts and thinking "Yeah, but I won't have any chance to see if it's working 'cause what is the chance I'll bump into that person. Really?"

So I take my kids to the Children's museum. We go once a week and we have fun there. The staff recognizes us and chats me up a few minutes.

In walks [word omitted] person. I don't know if you would have noticed him but I practically ran right into him - so I noticed. I was with my two year old son. I think of this as sort of my own little trial (lack of love trial) to resolve but my son, oh my dear son. He grabs this guy, starts talking away and won't leave the man alone. The man is kind and sort of stymied that my son is so forward and demanding. The man goes along with it. I'm so embarrassed and the whole time I'm thinking "I really did want to work on this, and now he's here."

The man is with his family but my son has decided only this person in all of the museum he can play with - a grown man I have been praying about. I'm still terribly embarrassed that my son has forced himself on this man.

The three of us go over to the toddler area where my son wants this man to work a puzzle with him. Over and over again. I ask him about himself, and his family, trying to break the ice. We chat a bit and I'm feeling ok about it. But still my son is determined to zero in on this one guy and not let him go. I ask about the man's daughter, our kids are close in age. The two of us, this man and I, coax my son into going over to play with his daughter.

The whole time I'm wondering am I doing this right? I prayed about it and here he is and we are talking and everything is going ok. I introduced myself to his wife and we talked kids for a few minutes. It was nice. I don't think I've got this whole [word omitted] problem down but little steps, right? Something like that.

The passages from today's passage I'm moving forward with are:

"Seeking is not sufficient. It is striving that enables us to enter."

and

"Consistent prayer is the desire to do right."