The Day Chase Knocked My Plants Over

Fifteen little seedlings are making their appearance this week at our front door. They sit on a table next to the door, because that is where the most sunlight comes through. The sunflowers are already standing tall, but are still to weak to be transplanted. They will still need a few weeks indoors to grow and strengthen before being put outside to face the daily elements of weather and nature.
There are also some little "seedlings" growing in my house. They are not from the store or a gardening magazine. No, these little ones are from Heaven. I didn't have to buy them, because they are priceless and are, indeed, a gift from above. God desires a godly seed, so He sent them to me to nurture, to feed, to protect, and to love with daily care. Some days I nurture well with praises and hugs and kisses. Some days I feed them the best food to help them grow strong. But some days, I do not protect or love the way I should and the Father has to teach me again how to train up these little seedlings.
And so today's lesson came from my son Chase. He is the sweetest of the family and the gentlest of all five of us. He is four years old and like all four year old boys, they run and bump and are careless at times. Today, he managed to knock over two of the fifteen seedlings in a matter of five minutes. The first time, I allowed him his mistake and gave no correction to the mishap. Ah, but to do it again within five minutes did not allow for grace the second time around...and so I became harsh. My words and looks were filled with angry and I scolded him for knocking over a second plant.
As I began to cleanup the mess, while holding the bruised plant, I continued to scold Chase to clean up the mess. And in that moment, the Saviour who never leaves my side, began to teach me how to heal the bruised little "seedling" in the kitchen getting paper towels. And so, my heart was grieved and I told my son that Mommy was sorry for getting angry. Before I could seek his forgiveness, the tender little boy put his arms around me and said,"I forgive you, Mommy."
As my heart was humbled, I told Chase I would clean up the rest for him. In fact, I was honored to do it, because of the grace he showed to me. And it that time, God taught me that angry responses belittle other human beings and causes them to feel low self-worth. This is certainly not the mother or woman I want to be, so I am grateful for all the wisdom I learned the day Chase knocked my plants over.