I know we have all likely heard it before, but we have certainly thought it…Parenting is hard.

Amidst all of the laundry, the dishes, trips to the grocery store or doctor’s office, sporting events, spelling tests, school plays, and sibling arguments, we are commissioned to raise these little people to be productive members of society who bring honor to the King.  We worry about them not fitting in and we worry about them fitting in.  We want them to be “different” but we don’t want them to be left out.  We want them to be modest, but hip.  We want them to be bold, yet submissive.

We want them to be what God has called them to be…and at some point, we feel very responsible to make that happen.

What we must realize is that it is not we ourselves who can accomplish this, but it is the Holy Spirit in us.

“’Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord.” Zechariah 4:6

I can put my finger on the moment that I realized that I am really not in control of my children.  That when it all boils down, they make their own choices and there are few things that I can make them do.  As parents we present the same deal to our children that God presents to us, “I’ve set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Now choose life…” Deuteronomy 30:19.  And, oh, how we hope they choose life!

But, have you ever thought about your parenting as your sacrificial worship to the Father?  When I began to view my role as a mother as an opportunity to shower my worship upon the Father, it changed my approach almost overnight.  I don’t make parental decisions based on trying to control my children anymore.  I don’t do things so that my children won’t do anything that will embarrass me.  I still struggle and am certainly not operating perfectly in this new knowledge.  But, what I can tell say is that now my parenting is about my relationship with the Father.  I take very seriously the fact that He has entrusted these amazing people to Brian and me.  When we make decisions about the things they can participate in and those they can’t or when we decide the details of curfews or influences in their lives…it is truly about what the Lord would have us do.

That is certainly not easy, because often times, we do things differently than some families we know and that is perfectly fine. But, we do our very best to make decisions that glory the Father and protect our children.

I am not responsible for their choices.  But, I am responsible for mine and I don’t want to let peer pressure or my own ego affect my children.  I want them to be permanently affected by a Holy God who they seek diligently.  That is success in my book.

My love,