Freewill

He walked in the front door and in frustration threw his book bag on the floor and shouted, "When am I going to be allowed to cuss?" I immediately stopped loading the dishwasher and offered up a feable prayer. Something like, "God help me."

"All the kids at school cuss. When am I going to be allowed to cuss?" Gingerly, I started asking him questions about his day and figured out what he was so upset about and why he wanted to cuss. Once he was calmed down, he asked again, "When am I going to be allowed to cuss?" 

I told my first born, rule following, child that he was allowed to cuss--just not in my home or around me, his father, or his sisters. The funny look on his face mirrored the funny feeling my heart felt saying those words. I had him say a couple cuss words and talked about how he felt saying those words. I told him my experience in middle school and how those words hurt me and my friends. I ended our time telling him that he could take a couple days to think and pray about whether or not he wanted to start cussing.

A couple days later, he came home from school and said, "I know what I want to do." He told me that he wasn't going to cuss. He had thought about it and even prayed about it and had decided not to cuss. My heart let out a huge sigh of relief.

I knew I couldn't keep him under my thumb and if I didn't give him freedom in making this [relatively] small decision about his life, he may not come to me when the decisions are a lot bigger and more complicated. So, I reliquished parental control and gave him the most scary gift a parent can give their child: freewill.

Again, God brought to my attention that my children are His first then mine. I am gifted with the responsibility to steward their upbringing for the kingdom. Ultimately, God is their protector and He will provide what is needed. When I let go and allowed the Lord to work on my son's heart, I received the opportunity to see God at work in his life.

This is how the Father is with us. Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. We ask for permission for things that aren't beneficial often. His Holy Spirit guides and convicts us in the way we should go. Ultimately, it is up to us to make the decision to follow His ways or our ways. Which way will you choose?