Several days ago I (Richee) was doing the normal evening routine which included Arden taking a bath.  He stripped down to his bare buns and jumped into his bath with his normal gitty giggle. I left him there to help Grace with Eliana and get his bedtime process ready.  Everything seemed to be going as planned and Arden’s bath time usually goes off without a hitch as part of the nighttime routine. But this night was different.

I came back to the bathroom probably 10 minutes later with a layer of water covering the ENTIRE bathroom floor and soaking the mat on the floor.  I was really surprised because Arden has always been good at keeping the water in the tub and fully knows that is the main rule concerning bath time.  After a long day with added sleep deprivation, I snapped a little and spoke out in anger about him soaking the floor.  My lips didn’t speak anything negative and simply addressed the issue.  However, my tone was definitely showing the anger that ultimately resided in my heart.  After taking seconds to register my anger issue and resolve the outward expression of it, I then had to discipline my son for what he had done.  That part went really well and he was quick to genuinely repent.

What followed stunned me and led to one of the sweetest moments I have had with my son.  Following Arden saying he was sorry with a humbled heart, he looked up at me with tender eyes and said, “Daddy, it is now your turn to say sorry.”  I then asked a series of questions allowing him to pinpoint the sin that he had recognized in me following my entrance into the bathroom.  I immediately admitted the “no no” and dirtiness of my heart before him.  His heart was sincere and genuine, with words that sought to walk daddy (me) through the gospel message that normally we walk him through during discipline.  We talked about me needing to repent in order that I might have a clean heart, which led to us both asking the Holy Spirit for grace to continue walking rightly before God so that we could be together on the Day of the Lord with resurrected bodies, entering the Messiah’s Kingdom. 

At the end I thanked him with tears in my eyes and hugged him, not letting go until he wiggled his way out of my arms.  Needless to say, we both walked away with repentant, clean hearts and gave mommy and Eliana a kiss before bed time.