It seemed just as Ben’s feet were healing, we were hit with yet another spritual battle.
Emma has developed a bit of a frustration with her feet and clothing. Pants and shorts are a big no-no. Even underwear is a struggle some days. Bathing suit bottoms, for some reason, are too tight and restrictive, so we’ve gone to the pool in underwear. A then there’s her feet. She doesn’t want her toes “touching”, and goes to great length to keep them separated. This means that most shoes won’t work. Another interesting thing is that this frustration will go unnoticed one day, but the next, causes temper tantrums and tears.
Now, remember, Emma is our super-smart one, but also super-sensitive. She is generous and thoughtful, and routinely gives her allowance to others, tithes, but yet can also save for the future. She is business minded, and daily thinks of a new business or idea. She is creative, writes short stories and songs almost every day–the girl is truly amazing and blessed with smarts and beauty.
That’s why it is so hard for us when some days she is completely not herself, shouting “I hate my feet!”, “Why would God make my feet icky!?!?”, etc…
On one hand, maybe this is normal. She is growing, (only 7 years old but still growing fast), she’s gone through wierd phases before, and we know this will pass. And when we read reports of “hyper-sensitive” kids on the net, Rebecca and I wonder what kids in the 1860’s did, or orphans who have little to eat–did they worry about how their feet felt, or how their pants frustrated them?
But on the other hand, when we hear her crying about how she is mad at God for her feet and see how much her demeanor changes, we realize that this could be another spiritual attack on the ‘fabric’ of our family. We’ve prayed for her, had the students and other teachers pray for her, replacing her shouts of frustration with shouts of blessing and health. It just seems we’ve been under constant attack & stress since we’ve been here in Spain, in one way or another. (BUT– we’ve had times of feeling we’re at our best, and we’re right where God wants us too–we know that what we are doing has eternal signifigance!)
Please, keep us in your thoughts and prayers…don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to over-spiritualize everything or make you think that our family is falling apart. Overall, we are doing well, and using all of these things to grow as a family ( like explaining to Emma how every body part is important, and each has it’s own job, just like Christians in the “body” of Christ)