Who said?

"Who said?"

This is almost always my children's first response when one of their siblings gives them an instruction.

"Josh, don't go past the fence."
"Who said?"

It's never enough simply to be told something; they must know whence the instruction came. Obviously, being told not to color the front door with sidewalk chalk is one thing if your little sister is doing the telling, quite another if it came from mom.

I was thinking about this as I was praying recently.

I've had a tough week. A week where I yelled at my kids more often than I should. A week where I shuffled them from room to room and task to task more often than I interacted with and engaged them. A week where I barked at them more than I listened to them. Where my relief at the boys going to school or Lauren going to the sitter was more acute than I like to admit.

Sometimes after a week - or even a day - like that I feel like I must be the worst mom ever. A complete and utter failure as a parent.

And, if being a parent is the most important role of my life - more important than the house, the job, the friendships - wouldn't that pretty much just make me a failure . . . period?

After a week where it seemed like I had taken the parenting test and been found sorely lacking, those thoughts reverberated through my head, a condemnation that can be difficult to ignore.

That's when I thought of that question, so frequently uttered in this house: "Who said?"

It occurred to me that my kids were not the first to ask this. No, it turns out yours were not either, nor were our grandparents or their many ancestors.

God asked it first.

In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit, God found them hiding from him because they were naked and afraid. God's response? "Who told you you were naked?"

The source matters.

Who tells me I'm a failure? Surely not the God who said I am more than a conqueror.

Who says I can't do this? Surely not the Savior who said that through Him I can do all things.

Who whispers in my ear that I'm not good enough? Surely not my Redeemer who promised that I am accepted in the beloved.

Who convinces me that I'm not adequate for this task? Surely not my Creator who said He would accomplish His purpose in me until the end of time.

"Finally . . . whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8 (emphasis mine)

Lord, help me to remember that the promises You give to me are true, and the lies of the enemy are not. May I always check the source of my thoughts and focus on the Truth that comes from Your voice alone.