YOU'VE BEEN MANIPULATED

This morning, I was feeling quite frustrated. Aviela just will not read her bible herself! I had begged, cajoled, bribed even begged. Nothing. I withdrew the iPad, the Samsung tab and even Disney Junior. Nothing still. Finally, I went to have my bath - frustrated by her total nonchalance to her bible. I was also angry and trying not to vent. 

In that anger, I told her not to talk to me again. I said disobedient children don't get to talk to me. I know; like I said, I was frustrated. She was sad for a (very) short while. I gave her a bath and sent her off to Nana (Grandma) to get dressed. I was stewing over the issue as I bathed cos I was fresh out of ideas to get her to read. She's been lazy to even try out the words. Aviela is an ace reader, she reads sign pots, reads the titles of my books, she reads anything with words. Except her bible. Voluntarily anyway. 

As I dressed, she kept talking to me but I was ignoring her. I was showing her my upset face. Finally, I told her for not reading her bible, she should never talk to me. Of course, she was shocked. I had manipulated her. My goal was to get her to read her bible to please me. Then I got shocked. Her response was well, I guess you don't love me anymore. I was hurt by that. Yep. Deeply hurt. The manipulator just got manipulated.

But when I think about it, don't we manipulate God sometimes? All the time? At least we try to." I paid my tithes so rebuke the devourer." "Here are my plans, favour me." I have faith like a mustard seed - move that mountain"

Sometimes, our prayers sound like trade by barter and half of the time, if we don't check our motives we loose sight of what it's meant to be - a talk with our Abba.  Yes He said He would rebuke the devourer for our sakes because we pay our tithes; He made the declaration but it's not because we tithe that He rebukes, He rebukes because He wants to! He blesses because He wants to! It's not us that moves Him to do that, His loves moves Him to do all these and more (1st John 4:19). We tithe because we love Him, we pray, worship etc because we love Him!

Back to Aviela and I. Of course I didn't show I was moved by her blatant manipulation. I "revenged" her manipulation - I announced to Nana that I was NEVER going to talk to Aviela ever again since she won't read her bible. Of course she fell for it and read her bible to Nana (I am afterall, the master manipulator in our relationship) and I proved that I still love her by giving her a kiss and hug before leaving for work. Manipulation accomplished!