A year ago, my hair began to curl naturally. I believe it has to do with whine. Yes, whine not wine. There is nothing quite so hair curling as a child’s whine. (My husband asserts that the real reason my hair started curling is because of true love. He put a spring in my step and curl in my hair. And, I agree with him. True love transforms us in character and appearance.) Some people talk of hair raising experiences. When I hear my children whine, it is so irritating it doesn’t just raise my hair, whining curls my hairs and my toes. I grit my teeth and widen my eyes. I can cope with a lot but I can’t cope with whining.

Whining comes and goes in waves around here. Generally, it comes because I have not dealt swiftly with misbehavior. The whining swells as I ignore the need for rebuke. Lately, whining is associated with a particular subject in school. Math. The children enjoy it, but sometimes struggle with a powerful urge to go fishing. Some will try to rush through the problems just to get a pole in their hands.

 I caught on to their scheme and slowed them down. Rushing math never produces good results. The error factor was on the rise as the spring like days increased. I am no dummy. I saw the correlation. I upped the ante and required them to slow down for quality sake. The whining increased. My hair got curlier. My jaw began to spasm from tight clenching. Something had to be done.

My husband and I gathered the children for early morning bible study. It was then that I saw the opportunity. God’s word is sharper than any two edged sword. Our study landed us in the middle of the Psalms where a warning was issued not to become hard hearted. I explained to the children that refusing correction on whining was evidence of a hard heart, a spirit that was unwilling to be taught. All made a commitment to stop whining. Surely, the word of God was effective as they listened intently during our study. But we gave teeth to this study by assuring the children that whiners would not be permitted to fish.

Parenting often provides insightful moments for the believer. That is, our relationship with our children is not unlike our relationship with God. Indeed, God refers to us as His children. There are many references to God, the father too. My children’s whining exasperated me at the minimum. At the maximum, it sent me over the edge. In the middle of our study, the Holy Spirit convicted me. As a child of God, I have given way to whining. When life doesn’t go as planned, I whine, complain and moan about my circumstances. I wonder. I just wonder if my whining provokes God in the same way I feel provoked by my children’s whines? At the end of our study, we all agreed to complete our tasks cheerfully with thankful hearts set on praising God.

Today I am reminded how merciful God is to me. I am thankful He is patient with me when I grumble and complain. I thank Him for the sanctifying me through teachable moments with my children. And yes, I am thankful for the children’s whining. I have a new longing to praise my father, to complete the tasks He assigns me with a cheerful heart filled with praise. That means, I will praise Him for the trials too instead of whining about them.

Udderly His,

The Kansas Milkmaid