Sometimes we just get in a singin' mood. Actually, for the kids, it's usually more like shoutin'. But, hey, at least they "make a joyful noise" right? The top three requests here at our house are:
1. Baby Bumblebee
2. Jesus Loves Me (hip hop style when they can beg my silliness out of me)
3. The Fruit of the Spirit

For anyone not familiar with the Fruit of the Spirit song, it goes like this:
"The Fruit of the Spirit's not a coconut" (then you knock on your head and cluck your tongue twice)
"The Fruit of the Spirit's not a coconut" (knock and cluck, knock and cluck)
"If you wanna be a coconut" (knock and cluck, knock and cluck)
"You might as well hear it"
"You can't be a fruit of the Spirit
'Cause the fruits are:
"Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentelness, and Self Contro-o-ol"
"Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control"
(Then it goes on to say that the Fruit of the Spirit's not a cherry, banana, lemon, etc, etc until you have exhausted the list of all fruits known to 5, 3, and 2 year olds...then go back to coconut and through them all again until you have exhausted the Mommy)

This morning, as the 18th verse of The Fruit of the Spirit was coming to an end, Ethan inquired, "Do I have those?"
"Those what, buddy?" I asked him, relieved to be spared from the 19th verse.
"Those fruits of the Spirit."
"Well", I began, "Let's see. First, can you tell me what each of them are?" I challenged him.
He wasn't too solid on the definitions of a few of them but we went through them one by one, me telling him in simple terms what they meant, and him voluntarily giving his own examples.
LOVE: "Like when Asa falls down and I hug him and say, 'Asa, are you alright?'".
JOY: "Like when we went to Krispy Kreme in Florida and I was so happy because it was really good"
PEACE: "Quiet?"
PATIENCE: "When you're sick and you go to the hospital and be a patient?"
KINDNESS: "Sharing your toys, even when you don't want to"
GOODNESS: "Making good choices"
FAITHFULNESS: "I haven't no idea"
GENTLENESS: "Not jumping on the bed near Astrid's head"

After that one I stopped, and getting ready for the big wrap-up to the impromptu Bible lesson I said, "Now, this last one is very important. Sometimes we have a lot of trouble with it, especially when things don't go our way. Let's see if you can remember what it is. So far we have, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and....does anyone remember the last one?"
My question was met with three pair of wide eyes and silence. Suddenly, Asa jumped to his feet, bubbling with excitement and shouted,
"Remote Control!!!"

I burst out laughing. Then Ethan, who recognized the humor of the answer, joined me. And Julia, who had no idea what was so funny, began to giggle. Then Asa, who's always game for a good laugh, chuckled at himself, proud to be the one who had caused us all to dissolve.

I never did get around to explaining SELF control, but, if nothing else, the lesson was not lost on me.

I spend a lot of time trying to teach my children self control. Waiting their turn to speak, sitting quietly at the dinner table, having just one piece of candy, cooling down instead of lashing out when they're angry, listening and obeying the first time without whining or complaining. While all of these things are great, I will admit that often times my guidance toward self control can turn into a personal desire for "remote control" over them and their actions. I can sit on the sofa, flipping through channels, looking for something "good" on TV, turning the volume up or down based on my preference. But I can't do that with my kids. What I wouldn't give sometimes for a mute button or a V-chip to block out all the unwelcome words and attitudes coming from their little bodies!

What a gift God has given us to be "self controlled", rather than pushing all of our little buttons until our lives display only the things He wants to see in us. What a gift it is to be allowed to love Him in spite of ourselves because of who He is instead of who He forces us to be. What stronger devotion comes from knowing that we are choosing to follow, obey, and trust Him instead of being bullied into tuning into the "right channel". What a reward to know that we have chosen wisely and that our self control has led us to experience greater love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentlness. And what a gift it is to our children to encourage them to bear this fruit while also loosening our white-knuckled grip on the remote control of their lives and giving them the example of a loving parent that our heavenly Father has so perfectly given to us.