How My Daughter Stopped to Thumbuck. A Continuation...
>> Monday, July 6, 2015 –
bible,
bible study,
discipline,
parenting,
reflection,
thumbsuck
A lot of you have been asking me questions on my post regarding How My Daughter Stopped to Thumbsuck last May. If you have not read that post, please do so before you proceed to read the rest of this story.
On my second to the last paragraph, i mentioned how my daughter was already 99% thumbsuck-free. While 99% is good, it's still not 100%. Now let me tell you what I discovered about that elusive 1% the past two months.
During our recent trip to Hawaii, i noticed that my daughter was starting to degress in her non-thumbsucking habit. Or to put it clearly, my 99% success rate slowly turned to 90% then maybe 80% successful. You're probably wondering the same thing as I did. What happened?
I was reading Mark Batterson's book entitled The Circle Maker the past month. One chapter talked about how the Israelites were asked to walk around the city of Jericho for seven days. This was the Lord's instruction before they can conquer the promised land.
If you have not heard about this story, let me be a spoiler and tell you what happened in the end. The walls of Jericho came tumbling down on the seventh day and the Israelites were able to conquer the city that God has promised them.
Now let's go back a few days and put ourselves in the shoes of the Israelites. After one round or two, our faith may be intact. But imagine going around on the 5th day...then the 6th day...maybe some of us will already be wondering when the promise will come. I remember our Pastor mentioned during his preaching a few months ago that 'Faith is easy in 5 minutes. But walking in faith continously again and again and again is difficult'. How true is that? If you are praying for something and the answer comes immediately, then it does not require much faith, does it? But if the answer takes days, weeks, months or even years later, our faith may start to dwindle.
But here's the good news. Our God is a promise keeper. Miracles happen when we do not give up. Imagine if the Israelties decided to stop circling the wall of Jericho on the 6th day. They would have forfeited the miracle and promise of God.
And that's where my realization came in with Dawn's thumbsucking habit. I stopped praying on the 6th round. When i thought my prayer was already 99% answered, i was too happy and forgot to contiously pray for it. I did not fully reach God's promise for me. This is why the complete breakthrough did not happen. I quit praying just before the miracle was scheduled to happen.
What a sad realization it was. I asked the Lord for forgiveness and committed to once again pray for Dawn. My God is a God of second chances. Remember my post on forgiveness post on forgiveness? I know my God will redeem me.
And here's something else you need to know.
On my second to the last paragraph, i mentioned how my daughter was already 99% thumbsuck-free. While 99% is good, it's still not 100%. Now let me tell you what I discovered about that elusive 1% the past two months.
During our recent trip to Hawaii, i noticed that my daughter was starting to degress in her non-thumbsucking habit. Or to put it clearly, my 99% success rate slowly turned to 90% then maybe 80% successful. You're probably wondering the same thing as I did. What happened?
I was reading Mark Batterson's book entitled The Circle Maker the past month. One chapter talked about how the Israelites were asked to walk around the city of Jericho for seven days. This was the Lord's instruction before they can conquer the promised land.
Joshua 6: 3-4
March
around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.
If you have not heard about this story, let me be a spoiler and tell you what happened in the end. The walls of Jericho came tumbling down on the seventh day and the Israelites were able to conquer the city that God has promised them.
Now let's go back a few days and put ourselves in the shoes of the Israelites. After one round or two, our faith may be intact. But imagine going around on the 5th day...then the 6th day...maybe some of us will already be wondering when the promise will come. I remember our Pastor mentioned during his preaching a few months ago that 'Faith is easy in 5 minutes. But walking in faith continously again and again and again is difficult'. How true is that? If you are praying for something and the answer comes immediately, then it does not require much faith, does it? But if the answer takes days, weeks, months or even years later, our faith may start to dwindle.
But here's the good news. Our God is a promise keeper. Miracles happen when we do not give up. Imagine if the Israelties decided to stop circling the wall of Jericho on the 6th day. They would have forfeited the miracle and promise of God.
And that's where my realization came in with Dawn's thumbsucking habit. I stopped praying on the 6th round. When i thought my prayer was already 99% answered, i was too happy and forgot to contiously pray for it. I did not fully reach God's promise for me. This is why the complete breakthrough did not happen. I quit praying just before the miracle was scheduled to happen.
What a sad realization it was. I asked the Lord for forgiveness and committed to once again pray for Dawn. My God is a God of second chances. Remember my post on forgiveness post on forgiveness? I know my God will redeem me.
And here's something else you need to know.
Joshua 6:2
Then the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its kings and its fighting men"
You know what is amazing with this verse? The word "Delivered" is spoken in the past tense. The Lord said it even before the Israelites started circling the wall. The battle was won even before the battle began.
I am now circling God's promise again to make Dawn completely stop this [thubmuscking] habit. I don't know if I am now on my 6th round or back to my 1st. Nevertheless
I can pray believing that God's answer will come. In fact, given that God has already won the battle for me, I should already be praising God for it.
When the time comes that we are 100% thumbsuck-free, I will share the 3rd part of this journey with you and pray that you also be blessed by our story.
Philippians 4:6-7
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
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