I play a game every day with my boys to get them to communicate with me. Call it bribery, manipulation or sugar hypnosis, but I call it mom magic because it works like a charm.
This game is called “Conversation Candy” and it’s as easy as 1, 2, and 3.
Tell me one story about your day = you get one candy.
Tell me something hard that happened = you get two candies.
Tell me something special you learned or observed = you get three candies.
Note: the candies are small, but still, my apologizes to you cringing dentists.
My hope with this little game *fingers crossed* is that my boys will equate talking to me as a sweet thing – get it, sweet? Lol. And if they see conversation with me as a good thing, hopefully they’ll keep wanting to tell me about their stories, hardships and special life observations, as they get older.
My deepest desire is that my boys would know me as a safe place – a place where they can ask, talk, question, vent, inquire, share, discuss, and feel heard, loved, accepted and supported in our relationship.
I guess you could say I desire a sweet relationship with them. 🙂
Why?
Because I want them to share their life with me.
I want to be a part of their journey.
Ironically, while praying this very prayer over my boys last week during devotions, I felt the Lord apply this same truth to my own heart.
Is this not the desire He has for each of us?
He wants us to see Him as our safe place – a place where we can ask, talk, question, vent, inquire, share, discuss, and feel heard, loved, accepted and supported in our relationship with Him.
He wants nothing more than to hear about our day’s – about the hard things, the good things, the stories, the things we observe, the things that confuse us and the things that inspire us.
He wants us to share our lives with Him.
He wants to be a part of our journeys.
And while He doesn’t use candy to draw us in, make no mistake, there is sweet reward found in relationship with Him.
“Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” Psalm 34:8
