Theology - the study
of religious faith, practice, and experience;
especially : the study of God and of God's
relation to the world.
Potty Training - The process of training a child
to use a
toilet for defecation and urination.
Do you have a sin tendency that seems to reappear in your life? A familiar struggle that you seem to
repent from, only for it to return again?
And before you even approach the task you are weary, tired, and hopeless
because all you know about the struggle is your complete failure and inability
to respond rightly?
Right now mine is my ungodly response to the task of potty training my
son. I can honestly say that
trying to potty train my son has been a source of frustration and distress in
my life. This hurdle in motherhood
has been a trial in my life, revealing various heart idols in my own
heart.
In this post, I don’t want to go into the various reasons why potty
training frustrates me, because I
have explained in a previous post how it humbles me. Instead I want to renew my mind on
Scripture. I want to build up an
arsenal of truth to prepare myself for the task, because I know that without
the power of the Word of God and the help of the Spirit I will be lost in the reiteration
of my sin.
There
is a little exercise, or game I guess you can call it, that I like to
play. I call it the “what do you
feel, what do you think, and what do you know” game. Back in college my roommate taught me it and I have used it
countless times to try and reorient my mind on what is true rather than what I
feel or think. I am going to play
that game now in regards to potty training.
What do I feel about
potty training?
Tired.
Hopeless.
Jealous and envious.
Worried and anxious.
Angry and full of malice.
What do I think about
potty training?
I am a failure.
If I tried harder my son would be potty trained by now.
If I potty trained my son in 3 days it would reveal that I
am a good mom.
When other moms fail at potty training it validates and
excuses my own failure.
When other moms succeed at potty training it reveals my
failure and weaknesses.
What do you know?
·
Live today, don’t worry about tomorrow (will he
be potty trained in 3 days?) or dwell in the past (he has constantly failed in
potty training). God gives grace
for today, not for your imagination.
o Matthew
6:34 - Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow
will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble
·
Envy, jealous, idolatry of control, and anger
are sins. That’s a good thing because Christ died for sin, so there is always
hope!
o Galatians 5:19-20 - Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality,
impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery,
enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,
envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like
these.
o Romans 8:1 – There is
therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
·
Faith is the conviction and motivation necessary
to remain consistent and endure even when I cannot see the results. Faith acknowledges God is powerful and
I am hopeless on my own.
o Romans 8:24b-25 - Now
hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with
patience.
o Hebrews 11:1 – Now
faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the convictions of things not seen.
o
Lamentations
3:21-24 - But this I call to mind, and
therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of
the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The
Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
·
Focus on the task at hand, training, which is a
process and not an immediate result.
o “Have
patience have patience don’t be in such a hurry. When you loose your patience you only start to worry. Remember God loves you and He is
patient too, and think of all of the people who have had to wait for you.”
o 2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord
is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient
toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach
repentance.
·
Do not exasperate (irritate intensely;
infuriate) my child in the process of training, with the justification that the
end goal excuses the means and my heart.
o Ephesians 6:4 - Fathers,
do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and
instruction of the Lord.
·
If I had to guess, the percentage of potty-trained
people in hell probably reaches close to 99.9%. Successful and well-executed potty training does not gain me
(or my child) into heaven.
o Matthew 23:24 - You blind
guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
o Galatians 2:21 - I
do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness (justification) were
through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.
o Romans 10:2b-4 - I do
not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the
law, then Christ died for no purpose.
·
Cast my cares upon God every day because He
cares for me. Outline my specific
prayers (i.e. accidents on the carpet) and pray for them.
o 1 Peter 5:6-7 - Humble
yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time
he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on
him, because he cares for you.
o Psalm 55:22 - Cast your burden on
the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the
righteous to be moved
·
Meditate on God’s unfailing mercy and goodness
pursing me like a lion all of my potty training days!
o Psalm 23:6 – Surely
goodness and mercy shall follow me all the
days of my life.
·
What does God require of me during potty
training?
o
Micah 6:8 - He has
told you, O man, what is good; and what does
the Lord require of you but to do
justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
·
Hope in God’s purpose and power through our
trials does not put us to shame (a painful feeling of humiliation or distress
caused by the consciousness of wrong behavior.)!
o Romans 5:1-5 - Therefore,
since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained
access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in
hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in
our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces
hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because
God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been
given to us.
·
Don’t take my child’s resistance to potty
training personally. Allow the doctrine of total depravity to set my
expectations for potty training.
Expect my son to rebel, fear, manipulate and disobey. Expect that my flesh will be tempted to
respond with unkindness, anger, and envy.
o 1 Peter 4:12 - Beloved,
do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as
though something strange were happening to you.
o 1 Corinthians 10:12 -
Therefore
let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
o Genesis 6:5 - The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every
intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
·
Encourage the fainthearted and help the weak.
o 1 Thessalonians 5:14 - And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage
the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
·
My guidance on how to potty train my son in a
godly way does not come from a specific method, how-to book, or even great tips
from other mothers. No, my
guidance comes the Word of God.
o Deuteronomy 8:3 - And
he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not
know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not
live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of
the Lord.
o 2 Peter 1:3 – His divine
power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through
the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.
· Expect that I will forget all of these truths if I don’t
take time to daily renew my mind.
I need to choose to believe these truths rather than my feelings or
thoughts. Expect that success and
ease of potty training will tempt me to trust in my own ability.
o Deuteronomy 6:10-12 - And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he
swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with
great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you
did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees
that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of slavery.
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