There is so much that we don't control...but there is SO much that we do.

Sometimes it can feel crippling.
How do we prevent the pain and the heartbreak?
How do we make sure they know how much they’re loved?
How do we help them see that every sacrifice asked of sanctification is worth it?
How do we ensure that they love others and walk in kindness?
How do we parent proactively without standing in the way?
What do we do if we feel like seasons have been lost or time has gotten away from us and we feel it slipping from our hands?
There is so so much that we don’t control…but there is SO much that we do.
Perhaps it’s easier to focus on what we don’t control so that we don’t have to fully entrust it into the hands of our Heavenly Father and come to grips with where we struggle to trust Him ourselves.
Parenting reveals the ways in which we see God clearly and where we don’t. It is complex because it is so clarifying…and then what we do with our own humanity?

But the truth is, what we CAN control with our children is so rich, so powerful, and so heavenly.
We control how we speak to them when they mess up,
We control how we apologize to them when we mess up,
We control the language that we exchange with our spouse,
We control the posture of our hearts when life doesn’t go as expected,
We control the things we sign up for as a family,
We control the kindness we exude as their example,
We control whether the Bible is foreign or frequently mentioned in our homes,
We control whether they know about the armor of God even if they don’t apply it,
We control whether we pray together,
We control where we turn to, who we surrender to, + who we trust with ALL we don’t control—is it us or Jesus?
Because it’s always more caught than taught. Our kids model our tone before we realize it sets the temperament. What we give our attention to often becomes the things they give their attention to…is it fruitful? Faithful? Forgiving?

Pain WILL come.
Heartbreak is going to happen.
Rejection is inevitable.
But every moment mentioned is an opportunity for them to truly know + grasp the healing power of God.

Time is passing and they are being formed. May we walk in such deep humility of who is in control so our children know they are hidden in HIM first 🤍