If you have raised children, you probably already know what I am going to share …
Potty training is a most challenging task.
Everyone makes it sound like all children turn a particular age and magically become potty trained. And for some, it may be true as there are children who are ready, and able, and easy to train.
There are also those who are not.
Some toddlers fall into the latter category; they are not easily trained and resist every step of the way. Our family has had a few of those. They fully understand the concept but quite frankly, no one is going to tell them when, and how, and where to do their business. Literally.
So we have done what every adult would do ”“ we bribe, we make promises, we sit on the bathroom floor and beg, we get frustrated and eventually, surrender comes. But it is we who surrender and not the toddler.
We give up, let some time go by, and then try again.
Here are a few lessons the process has taught me:
- If you’re not ready, you’re not ready. “Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready.” (1 Corinthians 3:1-2, NLT)
- We can resist the maturation process. “You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.” (Hebrews 5:12, NLT)
- The time comes where we must grow up. “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.”
(1 Corinthians 13:11, NLT)
Change occurs as we are ready. Maturity does happen. Much the way, a toddler must make up their mind for the change to occur, we must come to the point of desiring to grow up and mature in Christ.
“Do you want to know what God’s will is for you? It is for you to become more and more like Christ. This is spiritual maturity, and if you make this your goal, it will change your life.”
(Billy Graham)
May we move from milk to solids.
Let’s make up our minds and grow up.
I remember the first time when, as a young mom, I heard the parable of the sower. The woman teaching our small group that Tuesday morning broke it apart and it fell like manna on our souls. Read “13 Things to Do When You Realize You’re Not Growing in Christ” HERE by Donna Reidland. It was a precious reminder that even good soil can develop a hardness making growth slow down or become impossible. “May we have a desire to drive our roots down deep into God’s Word and absorb all the nutrients found there.”
Come, sit a spell. Bring your coffee, your posts, and your thoughts. If you link up, kindly visit those who have drawn up a seat around you.
What on-point lessons for us from the potty-training era! Part of mentoring new believers includes recognizing that not everyone matures at the same pace and our maturity level took a long time to arrive at its present state. We must have loving patience with each other.
You summarized my lessons so much better than I did! I am grateful you shared! Thank you!
Oh my goodness! Potty training can be quite the humbling experience, Joanne! I remember a professor in college saying there are three things you can’t control: if someone eats, their elimination, or their sleep. This is so true! You can put food before someone, but you can’t make them eat. You can take someone to the potty chair, but you can’t make them eliminate. You can put someone in bed, but you can’t make them sleep. Just having this information helps us not stress! We can encourage but we can’t “make them” which is helpful to realize as parents and grandparents.
What a good analogy, Joanne. As our kids get older, there is less that we can “make” them do. How we need to pray that God puts in them a heart to do right.
And it’s good to recognize that maturity comes at different stages for different people, physically and spiritually.
Cute story with great insights, Joanne! Good to keep in mind in community with other believers-we cannot “make” them be who God intends for them to be, or to follow our guidelines for being a Christian!
I love this object lesson Joanne! It’s been a very long time since I’ve been involved in potty training but the memories are there!
It’s about love & patience realising everyone is at a different stage & age in their walk with Jesus, no one can or should be hurried. After all it’s the Holy Spirit that does the training 😉
Blessings, Jennifer
One of mine was stubborn. And yes, I laid flat on the floor and surrendered. Great post!
Joanne! What a great analogy using potty training for spritual maturity. “If you’re not ready, you’re not ready!” So so true.
I pray to be on the timetable God has mapped out for me, but He knows me best. If I’m not ready, He knows when I will be. Much like the 16 year old who can’t wait to drive, I’m so looking forward to whatever He has next for me.
Child-rearing provides perfect examples for our spiritual lives and you’ve shared such wonderful points, Joanne!
I pray He prepares each of us so we are rightly equipped for these days and moving into maturity as a body of believers.
Potty training is a perfect example of the struggle we sometimes go through in the process of surrender. Just as potty training requires patience, perseverance, consistency, grace, and love, God grants us all those as He guides us on our journey to submission and obedience. A wonderful message for us–thank you, Joanne.
It’s trying to be Spring here every other week – and I’m wanting to soften the soil to plant – AND my two-year-old grandson is potty training – a two-steps forward, one-step back venture. You offer such good insight about the need to realize there are times to be hands-on and hands-off – with toddlers and with our grown-up kiddos. It’s like a dance – except we only know what to do as God guides us. This is a good reminder for me today. Thank you, Joanne. You always offer something that encourages me in my daily!
This made me smile because I have been helping and encouraging my granddaughter with my little great-grandson. He was one who resisted and resisted. Then one day a few weeks ago, he did it and was almost instantly potty trained from that point. He’s now 3. He even wakes up during the night to go on his own. The other day he got out his little potty chair (he now uses the big potty) and attempted to get his 18-month-old sister to use it. LOL. We really are much the same, aren’t we?
Ugh, potty training is not a fun task. My daughter will be beginning it soon with her son. I have zero experience in potty training a boy since she won’t get much help from me. lol. I love your analogy here to our own maturation!
You’ve definitely taken me back with this post, Joanne. One daughter was HIGHLY motivated by charts and rewards and would go potty 15 times a day just to get an M&M each time. The other cried and resisted so much, we STILL talk about it to this day! Your point about not being ready until you’re ready is so applicable to so many aspects of life. Wonderful post!