Spotted On The Balcony

I have been working on my son's children's behaviour. I am fully aware that I have written several posts confessing my lapses into inconsistency, but I suspect that until I'm in Glory it will be a constant battle for me in that regard.

To continue with my story.....

He is improving (which means that I am improving, obviously) but it was apparent on Sunday morning that we still had some work to do. I am always on the platform on Sunday mornings as part of the praise singers. Dave operates the sound. Usually I have him sit with someone, but I decided that since he has shown improvement I would give him a chance to prove himself. Thus, I let his sister and him sit in the back because it is right beside the sound. And their dad. I gave him a stern warning:

1) Participate in the song service (that meant no sitting down or doodling in his notebook - the only thing he is allowed to bring to church at this point);

2) Do NOT torment his sister;

3) Do NOT make funny faces;

4) Do NOT jump around and perform doing funny dances;

5) Do NOT do ANYTHING to draw attention to himself;

6) He COULD breathe like normal. I did give in on that.

I informed him that I was on the platform and would be watching his behaviour.

After sufficiently warning him, I ran the plan by their dad. Their dad, bless his heart, takes mixing sound seriously. He is a typical male who zones in on the task at hand. Earthquakes could happen, people could be screaming.....but bless God, that sound would be PERFECT. However, he did tell me he would *watch out for him*.

I will admit that he did a better job than usual in watching out for him. However, the entire time I was on the platform I watched my son do EVERYTHING I told him not to do. I watched him make his goofy, cross-eyed, tongue-sticking-out-of-his-mouth face. I saw him poke and bump and tickle his sister. I saw him dance all kinds of goofy dances. I saw him leave the area and move to a different row altogether (thinking....."stink, I DIDN'T tell him he couldn't leave the row....but what good would it have done anyway since he hasn't obeyed even ONE of my commands"....??). I saw his dad motion to him TWICE to smarten up. I saw him straighten up for all of twenty seconds, only to go back to his stand up routine.

It is very difficult as a mother to be in a situation such as this. I had to school my facial features. I planned all kinds of *sweet retribution* when we got home. One part of me wanted to hide my head in the sand and ignore it altogether - I couldn't do anything about it at the time, after all. Another part of me wanted to laugh hysterically at his antics.

Just try to sing with all of your heart and worship God while your son is out of your reach giving the performance of his life.

It does remind me of that old Mark Lowry story where he begged his mama for permission to sit with his friends on the balcony while his mama played the "piana" and sang. She gave him permission, so he used his time to practice his comedy routines. Only, he ended up being caught because she saw him and he knew it. And then he sings:

Oh victory in Jesus, my Saviour forever

And then she spots me on the balcony........

That story has forever ruined the true significance of that song for me. And, although my son never did clue in that I "spotted him on the balcony" while he was in church, he did clue in that I "spotted him on the balcony" when we got home.

And met his just reward.