Sometimes when your kids wear their slippers outside and get them all muddy and dirty, it’s a matter for discipline. Other times…well, it just isn’t.
The other day, I was working on going through the house and getting rid of stuff. We just had too…much…stuff, and my husband and I decided we needed to pare it all down before the baby gets here, in order to simplify things as much as possible. Lindsey, who has a sweet, helpful spirit, and has been very in tune with how tired Mommy is, decided she would help me.
She sat down and made a list of all the chores she would help me do (in pictures, because she doesn’t know how to spell very many words yet). Then, she began with the first picture and started completing the tasks and checking them off one by one. She worked as hard as I did for as long as I did (which was several hours), all with a cheerful attitude and the desire to help. Several times, while I was working on something, she came to me and asked what specifically she could do next. I would give her a small task, and she would complete it, return, and ask, “Now what can I do?” It was truly amazing.
So it was no surprise to me when Lindsey looked at her list, checked something off, and announced, “Next, I’m going to water your plants.” Then she disappeared.
I have three porch plants, so I allowed her to go outside by herself. She’d been gone a little while, and I asked one of the other kids where Lindsey was. “She’s outside watering your plants,” came the answer.
Shortly after that, my husband appeared, holding two muddy Elmo slippers I recognized as Lindsey’s. “Look at Lindsey’s slippers,” he said.
Normally I don’t allow the kids to wear their slippers outside for precisely that reason—they’ll get dirty. Briefly, the idea flashed through my mind of disciplining Lindsey for wearing her slippers outside when I’ve told them several times not to do that. But I knew immediately there was a better response.
“I guess I can’t really say anything when they’re only dirty because she was outside watering my plants,” I said. I chose instead to be grateful those slippers were dirty—not because of the dirt itself, but because of what the dirt represented.
You see, Lindsey truly blessed me that day, beyond measure. Her attitude and work ethic went far beyond what a five-year-old should be capable of. She poured out her heart for me all day long, as well as the effort of her little body. Had I majored on the minors, and punished her for getting her slippers dirty…oh, I’m so glad I got this one right. This time at least, I saw her heart instead of her behavior. And I felt like I got a glimpse into how Jesus sees people.
Many times in the Bible, we read how Jesus saw and responded to someone’s heart, while the others around him reacted to the person’s behavior. Take, for example, the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with costly ointment and wiped them with her hair. The other dinner guests were whispering to themselves about what a sinful woman she was—which was probably common knowledge. Look, she’s dirty. That woman with the dirty slippers is touching the Lord!
Okay, so that’s not exactly how it went, but you get the idea. They were focused on actions that were of far lesser importance than the attitude of the woman’s heart.
I wonder how often we truly look into our children’s face and see their heart. Often, we merely see the jelly smudges on their mouths or the fact that they’ve been on our nerves all day long. Oh, would that when we looked at their precious face, we saw their heart.
Friend, when Jesus looks at you and me, He doesn’t see merely the things we have done. He sees our heart. Sometimes, true, our heart needs correction. But other times, our heart is right even if our actions don’t reflect it. How many times have you fallen into bed at night exhausted from taking care of your children, with the house still a wreck? Jesus knows the house is dirty, but what’s more important to Him is the heart you displayed in serving your children.
What does that mean for you, precious mom? It means that if Jesus were talking to someone who was accusing you, He would say, “Yes, I see the dirty house. But better than that, I see her heart, and that’s what I value.” Or, “Yes, I know she failed in that area. But she’s trying, and that’s all I ask. I’m proud of her.”
Yes, Jesus sees your sins, too, and His Holy Spirit will convict you of them when necessary. But take a minute right now and just close your eyes and sit in Jesus’ presence. If you need to confess anything, confess it. Then rest in His approval. Know that He loves you and that He knows how hard you’re trying. Know that He’s proud of you. And realize that as much as I valued Lindsey’s heart toward me, He values yours far more.
Matthew 26:10, 13—Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me…I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”