Don't tell me you can't help it!

I mentioned in an earlier post that S and I took the boys to Lexington on our annual Spring Break Retreat. You would think that this would be a wonderful time to be with our boys away from the distraction of sporting events, homework, housework, etc etc. It is, but it is not perfect bliss. Anyone who has children could have guessed that!

My younger son, J, makes noise all the time. Sometimes it's talking, but often it is just noise -- nahnahnahnahnahnahnah. It wraps around every nerve in my body and squeezes. Conversation from our car on Friday:

Me: J, please stop. That's just noise!
J: I can't help it.
Me: Of course you can help it.
J: I can't help it.
Note: It is a statement of how tight the nahnahnhanhahnahanha was squeezing my nerves that I would blame all of society's avoidance of responsibility on my nine year old.
Me: You can help it. Don't say that anymore. We are all responsible for our own actions (see, Mom is getting wound up). If you say that again, I'm taking a dollar out of your wallet.

Now, don't frown at me. It's not bribery if I am TAKING money FROM him. It might be extortion, but it's not bribery. And it worked. He didn't say "I can't help it" again all weekend. He came close, with "I ca.." But he stopped, although he didn't stop with the nahnahnhanhanhan.

How often do we do that? Do we (I) ever fail to accept responsiblity because we think "we can't help it?"

There is a song on the CD that I've been listening to lately called If We Are the Body by Casting Crowns. Go read the whole song -- I like it a lot, but here's the chorus and a bridge:

But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ

As the body of Christ (Corinthians 12), we have certain responsiblities. Just as each of us is a different part of the body, we each have different gifts and different jobs, but each of us HAS a job -- has a role in the body. How often do we (I) shrug off that responsibility? I do, but that doesn't mean that I should. "I can't help it," doesn't hold water anymore. As part of the body, we have access to the One who can "help it," -- to the One who can help us to be a useful part of the body, doing His will.

Track meet last night at Laidley. Beautiful weather. My only complaint (you didn't think I woud be without complaint, did you?) -- We arrived at 4:15. G ran his first race at 8:15. Four hours of inactivity is a long time!

Two stories:

First: We were driving home from the track meet, and G was saying how tired he was (hard to imagine). I told him that he needed to remember to take his vitamin in the mornings. Biologist-Mom then goes into the benefits of said vitamins, "The B vitamins will give you energy; the calcium will keep your bones strong so you don't break any of them this year, and the C and E will strengthen your immune system so you won't catch anything."

"Like balls?" G responds.

Chimes in S, "Sorry, coach, that I dropped that ball. I took my vitamins this morning, and I just can't catch anything at all."

Second: J bought one of those stress squeeze balls on our weekend Lexington trips. (Maybe he thought I needed it?) We're driving along, and he asks, "Mom, do you want to squeeze my ball?"
"No, thanks, J." Calm on the outside, laughing myself stupid on the inside, and S was no better.