Vivian's View

Before I know it, our gorgeous daughter Faith has turned 2! I have almost forgotten how much I have struggled in the last two years. I have enjoyed my role of motherhood but I have to admit my weakness that I am not a perfect mother after all. No doubt that I love my daughter dearly and want the best for her. No doubt that I want her to stay healthy. No doubt that I want her to be obedient to us ALL the time. However, there’s so much of limitation in us and that we do not have control of everything in life. She had been quite ill few weeks ago before her 2nd birthday. I had become a desperate mother trying everything to keep her temperature down and to get her better. Although I’d tried my best, she was still falling quite sick for 3 weeks. I prayed hard to God that He would heal her in His hands and she wouldn’t be too sick for too long. Much to my relief, Faith became well the day after she turned 2.

Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not turn from it. (Proverbs 22:6). This verse has reminded me daily on how to deal with my active (sometimes a bit over-active) daughter. I know it on one hand that I need to allow her to have freedom to experience different things and to become more adventurous to explore things in this world. However I also know that on the other hand I have to set up boundaries to protect her from harm and to teach her the lessons of obedience to her parents. It’s hard work! I constantly pray to God to grant me wisdom to know what to do and what not to do.

Faithy is such a happy girl in her nature and she is shinning always. She is not shy and is always sociable to people. She is so different to her parents! I am generally a very shy and negative person and I battle daily to try become a more sociable and optimistic person. I thank God for giving me a gentle and patient husband who loves me and forgives me at times when I am not lovable. He is also helping me in this battleground to learn how to cope with my weakness. Although there’s still a lot of weakness in me, some days I win, some days I lose. But I know God is for us and is doing His work of transformation in me even if it takes years. With all the stuff that is churning and swirling around in me, it will take a lifetime.

I once again thank God for bringing a precious daughter in my life. She's truely a bundle of joy and a great gift from God. I will continue to try my very best to train her in the way she should go and pray that she will walk her journey in God by Faith (yes, jux like her name)!

We have started using a ‘naughty corner’ on Faithy since she’s turned two. Way beyond my expectation, it has worked amazingly well in order to discipline her. I neither yell at her nor smack her, I just gently put her at the ‘naughty corner’ whenever she’s done something inappropriate. She would then stand there for a couple of minutes (or until she’s calm), I would then ask her to step out quietly and gave her a cuddle telling her she was wrong but she was forgiven. She doesn’t like standing at the ‘naughty corner’ of course knowing it’s a punishment but she would obey to us. Isn’t that what we want? We just want her to know the consequences after doing something inappropriate; she would be punished but would be forgiven and still be loved regardless. That reminds me of God’s undying power to keep forgiving me from my sins too. I lose my patience and my cool often and I need His ceaseless undying power to help me overcome sin.