wwjd?

We're sitting at the supper table & there's some simple flare up between cranky children.  Charter ends up stomping down to his little lair & a few minutes later, i follow. 

He has created a little fortress of blankets, books and toys up on his loft bed, and i have to push all aside so that i can climb up there beside him. He's all curled up in a ball with his head under the covers & he startles at my touch.

He thinks i will be comforting and soothing, but that's not why i came... & i see the surprise on his face as i ignore the injustices that he has been fuming over... and center in on his manly little heart.

i want to cuddle this man-child in my arms and let him cry angry tears into my shoulder while i croon mama love in his ears... but my boy - who is growing so quickly in stature needs also to grow in wisdom... and favor with God and man... & so my words come out with a gentle firmness.

As i turn the conversation away from his hiccuping accusations - and towards his own opportunity to respond, i glance around his little nest.  Lacking rooms, we have converted a corner of our rec room into a suitable bedroom for our 9 year old boy.  He is a lover of justice, this boy of mine, and has stated from the time he was 4 years old that one day he would become a cop.  He has dollar store police badges, pass me down police uniforms and decals, model police cars and toys... his hero is married to neil's cousin & is a member of the TAC team on Calgary's police force.

"What do you think joel would do in a situation like that?" i ask.

"Nobody would ever talk to joel like that..." he begins, fuming...

"Oh, you'd be surprised... people are rude to the police all the time.  But if joel was in our house... and at our dinner table... and he was treated how you were treated tonight, how do you think he would respond?"

"i guess... he'd probably laugh."

"Yeh... i bet he would..."

& it helps sometimes to have people in our lives... people who we admire & look up to... people who we can imagine into our frustrating little circumstances & we can wonder to ourselves, "How would they do this?  What would they say?  How would they fix this?"

& i know... i know the J is supposed to be for Jesus - in the wwjd...

But sometimes, i like to see Him with skin on - & the ones who are living it out are the ones i try to model my responses after.

'ooh, i love how that gentle mama did that... '
'Sweetness in the way she loves her man...'
'lovely, aching forgiveness the way he threw away his hurt and embraced her in her shame... '
'Her silence speaks louder than any words... '
'i couldn't have said what he had the courage to say, could i?' 

& i ask myself as i sojourn... "what would Jesus do?"
& i see the answers all around me -
& try to do likewise.