that inner voice

intuition--it's a very interesting thing that has always perplexed me. that gut feeling that you can't fight. that hunch that you can't explain, but for some reason nine times out of ten, is right. that thing that helps us to act swiftly without thinking. that vibe that you can't fully put into words, but feel with intense emotion and passion. that feeling that this is right, but you can't explain why. this inner drive and thought process that seems almost primal.

this past week, i've experienced intuition in different ways.

i've observed my older son and how he handled an incredibly difficult experience at school. he could have easily cut and run by taking the simple route, but knew that he would need to do 'the right thing'--despite the difficulties he had to work through. carter learned that you need to obey that inner voice even when there are easier choices. as a mom, can't tell you how proud i was (i am!) as a mom, my intuition was to want to make things easier for him--but knowing that this was an experience that will impact how he approaches things to come, let it all happen.

my younger son had a slightly different encounter and learned things the tough way... we were at my parents' home on saturday for a visit and colin was chasing the cat around. when she went down the stairs, he pushed his head through the bannisters so he could watch her go down. he turned his head to an angle--and then his intuition kicked in...PULL OUT! now...when you twist your head to the side, it is impossible to pull one's head back out, yet everything in him was yanking and pulling back. it took me about a minute to help him calm down, to get him to look down and then do what he was trying to do all along--easily pull his head out from between those wooden slots. i know that he is a strong-willed little boy, but was amazed at how he was trying so hard at what he thought was the right thing to do. that instinct was borderline fierce. as a mom, i got to help him learn to remain calm in the heat of it all and to trust... i think he learned some kind of lesson--every time he went by after that, he told me not to put my head in between. (and he didn't follow the cat the rest of the day)

God gives us that inner voice that helps us live life--that voice sometimes protects us, makes us take risks, helps us to do what's right, drives us in new directions, encourages us to stand up for something or someone, preserves us... sometimes it impresses a need that we feel or see around us.

it's an amazing thing that only a profound God could breathe into His creation. i am grateful.