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A lady came to me complaining of her son who joined the day care center. “For the last few days,” she told me, “I’ve been patiently scolding him for doing something wrong, saying, “Don’t do that.” But he kept answering me, “No, I’ll do it.” I’d tell him gently, “Honey! that’s wrong.”
“But he insisted, “I’ll do this. I’ll do it.”
I was surprised to hear this because I know this kid to be a very gentle boy. He loves me and we get along well together. I ignored the situation (so that he would not get used to having violent arguments with me or with others) and left the place pretending to be smiling.
The next day, as I was joking around with him, I asked him, “What’s your opinion about what you were doing yesterday?” He answered, “Hmm. .I know that what I did was wrong.”
I asked him, “Then why did you insist on doing it even though you knew that it was wrong?”
He answered immediately, “I’d to do this otherwise, my personality would be weak. Whatever I want to do, I’ll do, even if it’s wrong.”
I got surprised of his answer because this was a kid who wasn’t even six years old. “How could he consider listening to my advice-while I am his beloved mother- to be a sign of weakness of personality?” asked his mother. “What can I do to correct his misconception without losing him?”
Since I found that the lady was confused, I said to her, “I advise you to do something wrong in front of him, on purpose. If it happened that he said to you, ‘This is wrong.’ say to him, ‘You’re right,’ and correct the fault. Then after one or two days, ask him, ‘What do you think of me when I obeyed you? Do you think that I’ve a weak personality?’”
Dear youths, many times we have the same attitude as this kid. So, we think that to have a strong personality is to insist on our own opinion without listening to the opinions of others, especially those who love us, like our parents. The strong personality is that which is not stubborn as the children without getting the benefit of the experience of the fully-grown. It was said about our Lord Jesus Christ that he was “subject to them” (Luke 2:51). That is, to St. Mary and St. Joseph, while He is not only their Creator, but is the Wisdom of God Himself!
Adhere to the Lord so that you may have the spirit of humbleness which will support your strong will in Him and grant you a good personality, allowing you to learn how to deal with everybody, and how to benefit from the experience of many!
→ English translation of the story here at St-Takla.org: طفل صاحب شخصية قوية.
How hard it is for me to be obedient!
I want to have authority, not to be ordered.
I think that by this I have a strong and good personality.
You came to our world
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You were obedient to Your mother as well as to St. Joseph.
You are the Creator and You, with love, obey the created.
You, whom Heaven and earth obey!
Your obedience doesn’t diminish Your authority.
Sanctify obedience in me.
Yes, bind me to You so that I would not run away from obedience.
I will obey in order to feel that I am a partner with You in obedience
How bitter is obedience, for in my sight it is being beaten,
But with You I find it so sweet.
Teach me, train me, and grant me the experience of Your obedience,
So that I may see You working in me, You who are truly obedient!
You who became obedient, representing us, practicing righteousness.
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