Love You When You Whine

I saw this book sitting on the shelves at the library and I casually threw it in my bag not knowing the impact it would have on me. The first time I sat down to read it with Charlie, I felt anxiety on every page. And maybe you'll see why with a page like this: 

 I do love Charlie and Olive in these moments of chaos but it sure is hard! Reading caused me to think, is this book condoning inappropriate behavior? One line says, love you even when you hit someone. But that is NOT OK! So to say the least, it was a hard book for me to swallow.

Well, it quickly became Charlie's favorite book to read. He would pick it out of all the others and after reading it once would ask to read it 2 or 3 more times. It gave me a lot of time to think about it.

Now, I went to the temple today, lucky me! And as I approached I prayed that my heart would be softened and that I would think clearly. I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for. But as I sat in a quiet area, my mind was flooded with thoughts about this book and how it was connected to the gospel.

A perfect example of this perfect love. The people wanted to
stone her for her sin but the Savior forgave her and
asked that she sin no more. 

Jesus Christ loves us NO MATTER WHAT! He loves us despite our sins, weaknesses, and rebellion. He loves us even when we say we don't love Him (that's another similar line from the book). He is the ultimate example of pure love, no matter what! That doesn't mean he condones sin or say's its OK to rebel. He loves us because we are His. I discovered, that its His love that makes me want to keep his commandments and be a better person. I feel so much gratitude for His sacrifice. I'm grateful for His love for it motivates me!

I realized today that that's what I need to do as a parent. I need to love my children especially when the are screaming at me, throwing tantrums, demanding every thing in sight, etc. Love is kind, patient, long suffering. Those are the qualities I need to work on as a parent.

I love how all these things connected. A visit to the library, reading with Charlie, a prayer, going to the temple. It's beautiful the way we are taught by the Holy Ghost, Our Savior, and Our Heavenly Father. They truly know us, love us, and desire us to live with them again!