Kolaches and the lessons from them

My daughter and I have a unique morning routine. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays, we go to the donut shop here in town and get her a kolache. If you don't know what those are, you must not be from Texas. ;-) I think the rest of the world calls them pig in a blanket. Anyway, this is one of her favorite things in the world. For some reason, she delights in them. It started out as a teaching moment. I thought it would help her learn her days, to follow the calendar. It worked. But it became a thing of joy for her. Every night she'd count down the mornings until her next kolache. She'd say, "daddy, tomorrow kolache." Or "two more days and I get kolache."

Well, this morning, she decided to throw a fit. She didn't want to wear a certain pair of shoes that was picked out for her. We tried to convince her, but to no avail. Finally she took a shoe and threw it. As a result, I told her she's not getting her kolache for the morning. That did it. The fit quickly ended and the tears welled up. She cried and said she was sorry and would never do it again. Off course I'd hear this every time punishment was threatened. I was now faced with a dillema. Will I cave and teach her what she did wrong and get a promise out of her never to do it again? Or do the hard parenting thing and show some "tough love." To my suprise, because I'm the softie of her parents, I decided that this was an important lesson for her to learn. And through the tears and the cries of agony, I drove past the donut place and to her school. The cries of desperation as we passed the donut shop have been ringing in my ears ever since.

But as I've thought about it, the more I'm convinced I did the right thing. I sowed some seed of discipline now, that I hope to reap later on. All of you who are parents understand what I'm talking about. I also thought how much my dilemma was similar to God's. How often had the people of Israel come to him in repentance and promised never to stray again? How often did God send messengers to tell his people to return to the Lord? I also know who hurt he was every time he had to show "tough love" to his people. And then He finally sent His Son to make the ultimate sacrifice to open up heaven for us.

I know when I get home tonight and ring that doorbell she'll come running to open it. She'll hide behind the door and wait for me to "find" her. She'll crawl up my back and give me my hug and kiss and then she'll ask me to "pretend" to be whatever she decides. Isn't that how we are with God? After all of our backslides, our sins and our getting off track, He is always there for us. Be blessed.