Praying Against Trials

In the world we are living in today, it is easy to slip into praying that God place a hedge of protection so strong around Moses that he never face trials of any kind. But that is like praying, "God, never discipline him; never shape or mold him into the man you want him to be." Instead, I pray that God allow only those trials necessary to keep Moses on His path.

We reached a milestone this week-- Moses is 18 months. A year-and-a-half. 1.5 years. If you can't tell, I am having a hard time comprehending it.

Along with the words apple, elmo, happy ("appy"), ball ("aball"), no, yes, baby ("aby"), Mom-Mom, and Dad-o*, he added Grandma ("amma") this week. (He has also inconsistently said elephant ("e-et"); owl; kitty ("i-ee," and "neeoow" for meow); dog ("adog," and "oo-oo" for barking); boo; Grandpa ("pa"); and, believe it or not, Albert (Pujhols, that is)). Yet he refuses to speak any of the words he can sign (more; please; water; milk; etc.).

He is also climbing all over the place. Let's just say that his motor skills are... quite developed. I never know where he will climb when I walk out of the room. Yesterday I found him on top of a chair, rocking it back and forth-- and NO, it was NOT a rocking chair. Today, he pulled a dining room chair out and climbed up to the table, and was "pretending" to type on Mom-Mom's laptop when she found him. Even as I was typing this, Moses climbed up behind me in the chair and fell off backwards. My heart is racing!

And he is not a "builder" when he plays-- he is a "destroyer." There is nothing more fun than completely demolishing a lego tower that Mom-Mom is trying to build. All boy, through and through. I'm not used to this. And I am out-numbered.

Maybe I should pray that I not have to face any trials in raising my son.... but then, that sounds pretty boring. Along with the trials come oh-so-much JOY.

(*"Dad-o" is Moses' unique name for his Daddy-- he started using this terminology all on his own. If we say, "Say Daddy," he is quite emphatic in repeating it as "Dad-o." I chalk this up to an in utero memory-- he must be recalling all of those Hawaii Five-0 episodes I watched while pregnant, when McGarrett calls Danny Williams "Danno"...).