Take heart. God is not done with us yet.
This is a difficult journey. There is no doubt about that.
There will be moments of peace, but those moments may be few and far between.
There may be days, weeks, months, or even years where we barely make it
through. Grab onto those Kodak moments. Plaster them on your refrigerator, your
desktop, your cell phone, your car dash, anywhere and everywhere you look in
order to remind yourself of the good times.
Don’t look too deeply at the photos or you will begin to
remember the drama mixed in with that moment (like right after the picture they
then proceeded to do this or that). Try to look at your child throughout the
day and see something that you like about them. Continue to turn your mind back
to those simple things when your mind drifts to all the challenges you are
facing.
Hide God’s word in your heart and remember that the Lord has
not abandoned you OR your child. One of my grown children mentioned some quote
from Lecrae on his facebook page. It was something along the lines that God is
the ultimate parent, but even He has children that go astray. Don’t be too hard
on yourself. We cannot control everything or even most things. Our child’s
behavior is a reflection of many things, but not solely or even predominantly a
reflection of our parenting.
Yes, we should continue to learn, continue to adapt,
continue to develop a parenting strategy that promotes our child’s healing, but
ultimately we must be able to give up control. Even if we do everything “right”,
our child is responsible for whether or not they choose to accept the Lord and
follow His path in their lives. We can lay the foundation, but God has given
each of us free choice. We cannot choose eternal Life for our children. Pray
without ceasing and gather prayer warriors around you.
God is not done with us yet!
“Be strong and
courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your
God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” Deuteronomy 31:6
Thank you so much! I need to print and read this weekly.
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