Black

It is been many years since I had young children in school.  I don't speak the current language of school work and class discipline.  Evidently, there is a system in place where goals are set for behavior, when it is not good, a color coded card is used to call attention to the unacceptable behavior. 

It is a good thing to have a green card. 
It is a very bad thing to have a black card, bad enough that you are removed from the classroom.

Certainly, discipline is necessary, for lots of reasons.  All school children must learn what behavior is ok and what is not.  Children learn the hard way sometimes, pushing the boundaries and breaking the rules, while others watch in confusion or disbelief and decide to just abide by the rules and save themselves from the aftermath of disobedience. 

Jett's brain has been affected in the area that houses emotion.  The bullet fragments that remain are monitored as the doctors watch to see that they do not begin to migrate. 

It is easy to see the effects caused by the injury to other parts of his brain. The paralysis he has is a direct result and can be seen, though it doesn't slow him down much.

But it is very hard to know what is a direct result in his emotions.  Nobody wants to give him a pass on bratty behavior.  At the same time, nobody wants to punish him severely for something he is still learning to process and deal with.

Spanking him would not have helped him hold his own head up, would not have helped him learn to walk again.  It took hours upon hours of one on one therapy, hands that helped him when his own muscles could not. 

But again, we could SEE that.

We can't see the emotions behind the outbursts that result in unacceptable behavior, but whatever the cause, he has to learn...SOMEHOW...to channel and control his frustration, anger, and disappointment. Just spanking him is not going to do the trick, no more than spanking him would make him walk again.  (...though he does get spankings!)



I walked into the salon yesterday to find him on the floor just inside the door with a big toy boat.  He leaped to his feet and yelled, "Aunt Connie!  YAY!!  Aunt Connie is here!!"  His emotions just bubbling all over the place.  He grabbed me, hugged me, and wanted to play hide and seek.  (...he saw hiding places galore in all those racks of clothes!!)

When I said no hide and seek, he began to reason it out, negotiating with me.  He may have some issues at school, but learning is not one of them.  He is a very smart little boy.  He saw absolutely no reason for me not to play hide and seek, using all his intelligence AND his charm trying to win me over to his side! He is an incredible negotiator at 4 years old!

As I prayerfully think about Jett and his parents, all the obstacles there are to maneuver, I again look back and see from where they have come.  And I also think about how I have been disciplined.

When my behavior is not Christlike, God doesn't pull my green card and replace it with a blue one, or yellow, and he doesn't issue a black card and send me home.  But He is not pleased.

He may send punishment to bring me back to Him.  He absolutely allows the consequences of my disobedience, and most often those consequences are painful.  When the ordeal is behind me, usually I can be very thankful that He loved me enough to do whatever it takes to keep me in His will. 

When Jett goes to school tomorrow, it is a new day. A fresh opportunity to conform to expected behavior.

Pray for this little boy, that Jesus will continue to walk with him, that he can process these outbursts and negotiate and reason thru them like he does with his Aunt Connie.  Pray that Jett will understand what is happening BEFORE he reacts in unsatisfactory behavior.

How thankful I am that God continues to give new days.  Our sincere repentance is never refused, He welcomes us back into fellowship with Him.




One day, there will be no more chances.  Ever.