My 5 Minutes on "She"
She's learning the art of manipulation. She wails for half an hour- a fit of rage against sleep. I finally sneak in to soothe and the crying immediately ceases and her arms fling skyward with a cry of "Daaaaddddyyyy!" It is sweet and frustrating and I suppress laughter and a bit of anger over the whole mess.
The way a girl can bat lashes and coo sweet to get what she wants. I nod knowing, but I cringe. These are the things that travel with us from when we are little girls until we are grown women. The way that we learn to live and pseudo-love and use people for our own benefit.
It can seem innocent, but it doesn't grow roots of Godliness.
I had an older woman once give a group of my girlfriends from high school a lecture on manipulation. She said that it was a gift that we could use as women to make the world, our husbands really, do what we wanted. I remember shifting in my seat uncomfortably with a knot in my stomach that told me something just wasn't quite right with that thinking.
I still shift in my seat uncomfortably because I know that I've used it to my benefit and that it is a godless tool or rather a tool in which the only god is me.
I want more for my daughter. She is made,by God, for so much more.
Would you join me again today? You could win some real beauty. Every Friday in September I'm writing on what it means to be "Stitched Together in Love" as a Christ follower and each post comes with a chance to win a piece of handmade goodness. My friend Joanna is giving something away today!
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