Mama Bear

We love our children and want to protect them from anything that will harm them physically or bruise their tender hearts. Children can be cruel little beasts and up until now, we have not really been exposed to that reality.

Our children have always attended Christian school. The expectations were high and the students were expected to display appropriate behaviour. There were little to no issues that ever arose while the children attended the school. Last year, we set off on a new adventure called HomeSchooling. We all really enjoy it, but of course, there are no relational issues with other students beyond one's own siblings. That brings us to this summer, infact, only the past month.

We live in a rural location and our property backs onto a forest. We have taken countless family walks through those woods and have discovered some very interesting places. The children are now old enough to explore these woods for themselves. They follow a trail and ride their bikes back to a cleared area that has some small hills. They are able to ride their bikes over some ramp type terrain and have lots of fun.

Our children will bring along a neighbour or two who attend the local public school. They are good little friends to the children and we are glad they have them to play with. Back in the woods though, they have met up with a group of other children. These children know our neighbours from the public school they all attend. However, they are not as nice back there in the woods, as they are when supervised at school by teachers...or at least the neighbours claim.

These *lovely children* have taken to calling names, ridiculing and mocking our children. One of our children is getting called names, in particular, and it really makes me upset. ***Feel the tension rise in the Mama Bear***

I know children can be selfish, wretched, cruel little beasts...it is part of our sinful nature. Children are not as restrained socially as adults usually are. I know all of this but I feel like that Mama Bear wanting to protect her babies. My sinful nature rises up and I want to go back there in the woods and meet these lovely children and give them MY 2 cents....but I won't. I have spent time discussing these episodes with my child. A young, tender heart has been broken...but lessons have been learned. I was asked this question by that child, "Do you think I should minister to them, Mommy?" Praise God!! Even with a broken and bruised heart, the concern was for these lost children.

Mama Bear is behind the bars and the Lion of Judah is doing His work...in that young heart and this old one. How merciful our God is. How wonderful that He teaches us lessons through trials in our everyday lives.