As I sit here and write, sometimes I wish there was a way to have video of my emotions because I can’t always capture into words what I am sharing. From the beginning I always said I wanted this to be posts of brutal honesty about our family and a glimpse into our world of chaos. Which leads into laughter, tears, joy, excitement, anger, everything. This is our life encapsulated into what my limited vocabulary has to offer.
Today’s story is one of those ones that I can’t make up. A little over two weeks ago now, Lindsey and I were having a date night. A moment we were looking forward to, which included dropping the kids off at her parents for a sleepover. After making sure we had everything packed we loaded up our kids and headed out towards there house. About 5 minutes before we got there Ellie started screaming her head off, like a curdling, something is wrong type scream. I am starting to think in my mind a be stung her or got in the car. Wondering if I needed to pull over, Lindsey unbuckled, turned around to find her pulling at her shoulder straps on her corset like something was wrong. “Ellie, calm down, talk to us.” All the while I keep thinking in my mind selfishly, “Dangit, there goes our date night.” The response that came from the mouth of our sweet 3 year old caught us totally off guard. Through her tears she started saying these words clear as can be, “My nuts hurt, my nuts hurt.” Tell me you’re not laughing right now.
Trying to comprehend what we were hearing Lindsey and I just looked at each other dumbfounded. I don’t remember who started to respond but I remember it was 3 parted. “First, keep your seatbelt on, we are almost there. Second, you don’t have nuts. Third, where in the world did you hear that. Back to point 2, you don’t have nuts.” Eli then informed us that one of the neighbor kids has been screaming it and saying it over and over. Now it makes sense. As a 3 year old she is just picking up on what she hears, truth or not and making it her reality. Believing in that moment that her response should be his. He screams, this is what he says. So now I am screaming, this should my response.
You may be wondering where in the world I am going with this. How many of us do the same thing response wise as Ellie did. We speak what we hear. We hear something and after hearing it so many times it becomes our truth no matter how ridiculous it sounds. How do you think advertising works? You are told something time and again to the spot you start believing it. In a kids mind it turns into, “I need that.” I am sorry to say, this isn’t just a kid thing either. Let’s take your car or phone for example. They are working totally fine, you are happy with them, but then you start seeing commercial after commercial of the new and eventually your mind starts buying into it, going maybe mine is getting old and needs replaced. Maybe it isn’t a car or a phone, but a hunger issue. You really aren’t hungry, but then you see the taco bell commercial and next thing you know you find yourself in a car heading to the drive thru. We buy into what we hear, it becomes our truth.
2 Timothy 4: 3-4, “Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn away from truth and turn aside to myths.”
This is a spiritual thing also, a truth the church needs to hear. In 2 Timothy Paul warns of a day where people will no longer stand for truth but will surround themselves with leaders who will tickle their ears. Bottom line is, what he is saying a day will come when people no longer will stand for truth, truth will become relative to many and that will become their reality. What is your truth? Where do you get your truth from? Is it from the source of truth, the Word of God or is it from what others around you are saying over and over.
Joshua says to choose this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. That includes the truth you are teaching in your home. What are your kids hearing? What are we allowing them to hear? What are we hearing for ourselves? The world’s truth that will tickle our ears and we buy into or God’s truth that stand forever.