Potty Training, The Holy Spirit, & That "I Gotta Go" Feeling

Potty Training...every mother's arch nemesis. It's a dreadful time. I had been hoping that the prior experience of potty training Goldilocks would produce a sense of confidence this next go 'round but alas it has not. Sweet & Sassy has shown all the signs of readiness to begin this wearisome, frustrating process & according to my Farmer's Almanac the time is right...and so we're giving it a shot. My second born is a hard headed, strong willed lass...qualities that are both challenging yet good, so I have been very realistic in knowing that this would not be an altogether pleasant endeavor. Day 1 I sat her on the potty as soon as she woke up & miraculously the desired result occurred in the right location. On went panties. With the timer set Sweet & Sassy sat on the potty every 20 minutes for over 2 hrs...nada. Bribery...er, rewards...are a big part of potty training so an M&M was earned for every attempt...2 for #1's & 3 for #2's. She procured a whole lot of single M&M's. After what seemed like an eternity (I felt certain that she would finally have to go)...my stubborn girl sat on the potty...sang ABC's, counted to 10, pointed out colors...zilch. Up went the panties, on went the timer, & I hurried to do what chores I could before the buzzer sounded. 'Mama, I'm wet!' Indeed she was...down her leg. I looked at the clock. It had been a whole 3 minutes since she'd sat on the potty. I remained positive...at least she knew wet panties were highly unpleasant. A new pair of panties, a mopped floor, & another attempt at trying later...'Mama, I'm wet'. This happened 3 times, & I finally threw in the towel. We'd try another day. This morning I had worked up the courage to give it another shot. As soon as Sweet & Sassy woke up, we ran to the potty...success! On went the panties & the timer. It's nearly 9:30 & as of now the score is Potty: 4 & Panties: 2...maker that Potty: 4 & Panties: 3
Sweet & Sassy is trying...really trying. She wants to be a big girl like Goldilocks. She wants to wear Minnie Mouse panties & to be diaper free. Each accident & each success gives her experience. Peepee in the panties gives her an unpleasant sensation that she wishes to avoid in the future...each peepee in the potty gives her a thrill & sense of accomplishment. In time she will learn to anticipate the oncoming event. Sweet & Sassy will learn the feeling of "I gotta go' & she'll be able to act before it happens. It's a process...it's an acquired skill...it's not instantaneous. I assure you the point of this post isn't to disgust you with tales of #1's & 2's...
Have you ever struggled with hearing Abba?  Have you ever questioned the Holy Spirit's prompting? Have you ever felt like a failure in faith because you just don't know what that feels like...or if it's just you. It's part of the Christian jargon to say 'pray about it, see what God says'...it's part of the culture to encourage believers to 'seek the Lord's will & then to trust the Holy Spirit to guide'. Have you ever envied the way certain people seem so in tune with Abba...the way they know what He wants from them. Have you ever been jealous of someone who says with utter confidence, "God laid this on my heart"?  I have. I have struggled to hear the Lord. I have been jealous of those who make it look easy. I have wished God would appear to me in a burning bush like He did for Moses. I want to hear Abba speak...I want to be sensitive to the guiding of the Holy Spirit. Today as I have been watching Sweet & Sassy learn how to go potty (on the potty), it hit me...we are in the same position she is. Just like my girl has to learn that 'I gotta go' feeling, just like she has to develop the 'knowing'...so do we have to learn to be sensitive to the Lord, so do we have to develop the 'knowing' of when He is speaking to our hearts. It's the perfect analogy (at least to my way of thinking). Let's break down the correlation:
*Step 1: Take off the Diaper & Put on the Big Girl (Boy) Panties:
The first thing I have to teach Sweet & Sassy is that it is time to grow up...it's time to take off the diaper & to put on the panties. With no prompting, encouragement, & yes tough love, she might be prone to just stay in that diaper...perhaps not forever, but far longer than she should. We are the same. We need to transition from diapers to panties or as the apostle Paul describes it, we need to start eating solid food. The first thing I would do is find a spiritual mentor...perhaps one of those people you envy & ask them to walk with you in this journey. Ask them to encourage you, to prompt you, & to hold you accountable. If it wasn't for my pushing, Sweet & Sassy wouldn't potty train...she needs my motivation, & many of us are the same way in our faith walk. We need someone to light a fire under us. The first step is to take off the diaper & put on the panties...acknowledge that change, growth, & maturity are needed in your faith.
*Step 2: Learn from the Down the Leg Accidents:
I am by no means an expert in potty training (in in a successful faith walk), but I do feel strongly that before a child can potty train, she has to experience the discomfort of an accident...of peepee down her leg. Sooner or later she gets tired of being wet,  she's grossed out by soggy panties, & she starts becoming aware of the warning signs. Have you ever experienced an accident...the peepee down the leg type of discomfort that comes from having missed an opportunity?  Has hindsight ever shown you what you missed, & you beat yourself up because you should have seen it for what it was before? It's the same concept. We miss God's prompting...we don't pay attention to His 'still small voice'...we neglect to see the red flags & attention getters trying to warn us that a God-moment is up ahead...we're oblivious to it all...until it runs down our leg, or hits us. With startling realization we become painfully aware of the missed opportunity. I think this has to happen before we can begin learning to be proactive rather than reactive. When I potty trained Goldilocks, it only took one or two 'accidents' before she realized enough was enough. She knew the icky feeling, didn't like it, & started paying attention. After that it was smooth sailing. Sweet & Sassy is totally different. She's had at least 7 accidents (including one while I was writing this post, oops), & still seems to be trying to figure it out. Sisters (Brothers), not everyone catches on as quickly as others & that's okay. Is Sweet & Sassy dumb or incapable because it's taking her longer to figure it out? Absolutely not. Is Goldilocks better because she caught on quick? No. It might take you quite a few accidents before you learn to perceive Abba's voice in time to act rather than react. The point is to learn from each accident & to become aware....no matter how long it takes.
*Step 3: Celebrate the Successes:
The first time Sweet & Sassy put peepee in the potty we had a celebration that might have given Heaven's Angels a run for their money. We cheered. We clapped. We hooped & hollered. We had a peepee parade to go flush them. We did a victory dance. We ate M&M's. We celebrated the victory. That success was short lived as two hours later an accident occurred, but we rejoiced in the win & learned from the accident. Don't be afraid to celebrate your triumphs. When you successfully hear Abba speak, when you feel the Holy Spirit's prompting in your heart, & you act accordingly then Celebrate! Rejoice! Call up your mentor & brag about it. For real. Acknowledge the growth & the progress. Be proud of it (within reason). Sweet & Sassy is a whole lot more likely to go potty on the potty again if she knows it was a big deal & that it was an awesome thing.We are a whole lot more likely to keep seeking, keep listening, if we know that there are rewards for that attentiveness.
*Step 4:  Continued Success Increases Sensitivity to the Urge:
After several successes (& accidents) it doesn't take long for a child to figure out that the celebration is more enticing than the wipe down & panty change. She begins craving the victory & in turn pays more & more attention to the "I gotta go' feeling. Initially Sweet & Sassy knows that she has to potty when her bladder is at the point of maximum capacity & it's a matter of dire urgency. As she becomes more familiar with making it to the potty in time, she'll start to realize she has to go long before it's an emergency. Goldilocks has become so in tune with the 'I gotta go' feeling that she often hurries to the potty just to tinkle. She is far more sensitive to the warning signs & is very proactive about it. Those godly people that you admire (& envy) they have developed their "I gotta go' feeling. They have become so in tune with, so aware of the Lord, that it only takes a little sensation for them to have certainty of what He is showing them. It's a developed skill. It takes time. It only comes after many many many successes. Perhaps you are in the stage of realizing Abba's voice at the very last second. Perhaps you narrowly miss the 'down the leg' sensation...persevere! Prior to this, you suffered from the accident, so you are improving. Keep practicing awareness...stay attentive...keep seeking. As you mature spiritually, you will become more & more sensitive to the Holy Spirit's urging, & you will be equipped to respond with very little prompting.
*Step 5: Don't Underestimate the Physical Signs:
With both darlings, I have talked to them about the physical sensations they might have alerting them of their need to potty. I won't go into gross details...you get it. Sometimes there are physical reactions to Abba's voice. A quickening heart beat. A flushed feeling. I've even felt like I was going to pass out a time or two. Sometimes its a pain in your gut or an anxiousness. Perhaps it's a feeling of urgency to act or speak NOW. When our hearts & minds are conscious of the Lord it's only natural that the body would be as well. Don't underestimate the physical signals.

By now you might be thinking I am mighty odd or perhaps this was the mental picture you needed to understand, but my sincere hope is that it equips you & encourages you to potty train...to develop your "I gotta go' feeling. I pray that we can hear Abba's voice, that we can feel the Holy Spirit's urging, & that we can be confident of 'going', acting, speaking, waiting, & etc. Be Blessed!

Couldn't Resist!

1 Corinthians 3:1-5