Swim Team Party (& Heart Conversation)

The 2011 Tsunamis - Mr. Intensity in green, front row.

Our neighborhood swim team celebrated the season's cessation tonight with a pizza party.  Mr. Intensity and I made cookies this afternoon to take to the party.  As they were hot from the oven, we talked about how yummy they would be and negotiated the proper amount to eat - both right away and at the party.

Imagine what went through my sugar-nazi, real-food crazed mind when at the party I saw him eating a piece of cake with artificially colored hydrogenated icing.  After he had eaten his portion of cookies.

Maybe you say, "What should you expect?!  He's SIX!"

Agreed, he is a child and often deprived of sugar.  I should expect sugar sneaking every now and then.

The look on his face as I walked up to him shouted his admittance of guilt.  "Did you eat your cookies already?"

Yes.

"And now you're eating cake?"

Yes, but it is just a small piece.

"That was not our agreement.  You may finish the cake but no more sweets this week.  Or, throw away the cake now and we can talk."

Oh the agony.  It was painful for me to watch the turmoil on his face.  He really struggled to reach his decision.

He threw away the cake.  (Secretly I was cheering!!)

All the while, his best bud was saying, "Dude!  Why are you throwing away that cake?!"

Because I love sweets.
*******
The 90 minutes between the park and bedtime, I was storming the gates of heaven asking the Lord for wisdom.  The years are few that I get to train his heart.  Teachable moments like this don't cross my path very often (or am I too lazy to acknowledge them?)

I felt like the Lord gave me the story of Jacob asking for Rachel's hand in marriage and being deceived by Laban.  After all, Nathan used a story to convict David of his sin.  Mr. Intensity loves good stories.  There was a season when every.single.night he would ask Hubby at dinner to "tell a scary story."


Of course I paraphrased, updated and embellished the story a bit.  As I was talking about the wedding day, I asked, "Do you know what brides wear on their wedding day?"

He says, "A BIG HOT DRESS."

Yes, a big hot dress and a veil.

Interrupting, he says, "Was there cake?!  You know there is always cake at weddings."

Oh my son, we'll get to the cake in a moment.

I told him that indeed Jacob realized that he had been deceived and married the wrong woman.  Rachel's daddy had given Jacob the wrong daughter.  Jacob had worked for seven years for the one with weaker eyes.  She wasn't as beautiful Rachel.

How do you think Jacob felt? Do you think he was mad? sad? frustrated? angry? There is such disappointment when we are deceived!

He said, "I would have felt all those things."

It was such a tender moment.

I told him I had felt those things.  The look on his face told me he didn't understand.  I told him I felt deceived when I looked over and saw him eating cake when we had agreed earlier on the sugar allotment for the day.

I asked, "When you reached for the cake, did you have a feeling that you should not get cake?"

He said,  "Small one."

That, my son, is the Holy Spirit trying to guide you to righteousness. Listen to it.  Do not harden your heart and ignore it.

Jesus said, "He who is faithful in a very little will be faithful in much."

Daddy and I want to be able to trust you with big things one day.  Seemingly small decisions build your character.  We pray that you will become a man of integrity, that you reject foolishness and cling to wisdom.

I feel like sweets are an idol in your life.

He scoffed and disagreed.

I reminded him that his greatest interest in Jacob's story was about cake.  Tonight he was in trouble because of cake.  When asked about his school day today the best part was making cookies.  I think he was beginning to see why I thought sweets were an idol in his heart.

No dessert tomorrow. The fasting from sweets would have been longer if you'd not thrown away cake so quickly and respectfully.

Graciously he accepted these words.  He was being convicted of his sin.  I was so thankful for his tenderness.  Not often do I get to see his sensitivity; tonight was a gift from the Lord.  A gift to Mr. Intensity that he was caught.  My gift was that the Lord gave me the time and the story to help my son process the wrong.

We prayed for God to forgive him.  The Lord brought to my mind 1 John 1:9 -

If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Oh how thankful I am for His forgiveness!  As far as the east is from the west, that's how far he's removed our transgressions.