What goes in, WILL come out.

It's a very simple concept, really, but not easy.  We've all heard it before.  Tonight it hit me hard.

I'm so proud of my little boy.  Parenting is a really hard job.  A really, REALLY hard job.  It leaves you tired and drained at the end of the day, but so content too.

Mark and I made commitments while I was pregnant with Owen about how we would raise him.  The things we would not let him digest.   We committed to not letting him watch tv, except for a few child-friendly and educational shows a week.  We committed to not letting him eat junk food and un-beneficial things (we do let him have treats at get togethers and birthdays and such!) We committed to praying for him and with him.
Now, none of these things are easy.  When i'm at my wits end, and feeling like I can't take it anymore, you bet that i'm so tempted to put him in front of a tv for hours, and turn myself off.  And I'll admit that i've done that before.  I'm so not perfect.  It's not easy when I REALLY want to watch something on tv that i know could be questionable for his little innocent eyes, ears, and heart, to say no to myself.  I'd never say it's a fun or easy thing.   It's not easy when he has been SCREAMING and throwing fits all day to sit down CALMLY with him and pray with him, it's really not.

All of that to say, tonight, i realized how very much worth it it is.  Tonight on our way home, owen was singing a song the whole way home.  Sometimes it's the usual "twinkle twinkle little star" or "rock a bye baby"  but this time he was singing "La la la la la la, Jesus!  La la la la la la, Jesus!"  To sit and hear those words coming out of my sons mouth warmed me to the core.  To think of the things he COULD be saying, and to hear him saying that, almost brings me to tears.    Then, tonight, I put him to bed, which is a little out of the ordinary since Mark usually does the bed time routine.   I got him all cozy in his pj's, read him a book, rocked him, and prayed with him.  I prayed a pretty ordinary prayer, and then said "amen."  Owen sat up from where he was snuggled up on my chest, and looked at me and said, "please, bind."  I didn't really understand so I asked him to repeat himself several more times.  Each time, he said, "please, bind."  Then, it hit me!   Mark prayers each night that we "bind evil in the name of Jesus" out of Owen's room, his head, his heart, etc.   And my TWO YEAR OLD SON, was asking me to bind evil out of his life.
I'm complete mush at this point.  I haven't forced my son to say anything that he says, and i never will force him to love Jesus.  I'm just SO so amazed and in awe at what is flowing up out of my baby's heart.

It really really does prove that what goes in, comes out.  And i do NOT take that lightly, especially after seeing that tonight in my precious little boy.    He is so perfect to me, faults and all.

I used to kind of make fun of my parents, or other parents that limited certain things in our lives when everyone else was allowed to do whatever.  But now, i'm so so thankful, and I so, SO get it.


:)