Sailing Uncharted Territory

 “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
    the fruit of the womb a reward.” Psalm 127:3

Today our family will embark on a new journey.

We are headed into uncharted territory.

We are officially the parents of a teenager!! Today our oldest son, Big D turns 13 years old.

As this day has quickly approached, I have found myself filled with mixed emotions. On one hand, I am extremely excited to see what the future holds for our family and for our son, yet on the other hand I feel a bit unsure and unprepared for what is to come.

This new time in our lives has brought me back to where it all started. 13 years ago, today, I was a 19 year old girl with no idea how my world was about to change. I was young and believed that I knew it all. (You see, teenagers think that for some reason.) I had not really considered the future to any extent and I surely had not thought far enough ahead to realize that one day I would be raising a teenager!

I was a newlywed. My head was still in the clouds.

Even as I sit here now and look back on that time, I shake my head and chuckle under my breath at the naivety. Praise God, He has carried us through all these years!

Today we celebrate this new trek of our adventure. We boldly (and prayerfully) march into an entirely new phase of life. As the shock wears off, I am more and more excited to begin this new journey. I have loved being a mom since that first day, 13 years ago, and I have enjoyed every stop of this adventure since then.

While I do understand that children do not come with an instruction booklet, I am confident in the assurance that God has given us all the instruction we will need in His word. As our children grow, I find myself holding onto God’s promises more and more. I would like to share some of these promises with you this morning.

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

Proverbs 29:17 “Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.”

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

I hope that you have enjoyed listening to this overwhelmed Mom ramble on about a new phase in life. I also pray that it has somehow encouraged your heart. I truly believe that children are a gift straight from the Lord. As a parent you think that you are teaching your children life lessons every day, but I must say that I learn so many things from my children on a daily basis. I feel very honored to carry the title Mom to these three “not so little any more” blessings of ours, and I am thrilled to see what God has in store for our future.

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Confessions of a Tween Mom

 ^“Train up a child in the way he should go:

and when he is old,

he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 22:6

Confession: I am a mom, and I do not have all the answers.

There are times when this is the hardest thing for me to admit. As the mother of a “tween,” a nine-year old and a five-year old, I often have to admit that I no longer have all the answers. As much as I would like to believe that I have it all together, too many time I am faced with the stark reality that I do not.

As a woman, a mother, and a wife I want to believe that I know what I am doing. I am reminded, however, that there is still so much that I do not know, so much that I still have to learn. Every day I am learning exactly what God means in His word when He tells us not to lean on our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)

Just recently I was faced with the reality that I do not have all the answers that my children need. I suddenly found myself faced with a conflict for which I was not prepared. I had to sadly admit to myself that I had failed. As a mother, I was not prayed up. I had not taken the time to seek the knowledge, from the Lord, that was needed to minister to one of my children in need.

At that very moment, I had to cry out to God. I was in desperate need of help. I knew I was traveling in uncharted territory, and I needed guidance. As I poured my heart out to God, I felt a peace come over me that I knew could only come from God.

As I began to council one of my children, I knew that God was right there holding my hand and healing the broken heart of a child. As I talked to him about the issues of a young person, I could see God working in his heart. I could see that God was already doing a work in our child’s life. All I needed to do was to trust God with the results and be there to offer support and guidance.

As I sit back and look at my children, I see just how fast they are growing up. While they will always be my babies, God is growing them into precious young people. I often look at my children and wonder what God has in-store for them. I trust and believe from the bottom of my heart that God has big plans for each of them some day.

I want to be prepared to minister to my children when they need some guidance. I realize that the days of hard knocks is coming. We are soon going to have a teenager in our house, I can only imagine what that is going to mean for us.I want to be prepared for those years. I know they are going to be the most important years, and I want them to be years of making memories and building dreams.

I was reminded this weekend how much more I need to be praying for my children. I pray every day that God will keep them safe and healthy, but I realize now that there is so much more for which I should be praying.

As a mom, I need to be praying for wisdom. I need to be seeking God’s guidance so that I can lead my children in the right direction when those temptations come to wander.

Psalm 127:3 tells us:

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

My children are such a blessing to my heart. I love to watch them grow, and mature, and become the people who God would have them to be.

My prayer is that I can be the Mom that they need me to be . I pray that God will empower me with the knowledge and the wisdom I need to raise them to be Godly boys and girls. I pray that I will never forget to whom they truly belong, that these precious children of mine are just lent to me for  a season. I pray that I can honor my Heavenly Father with not only the life I live, but the lives that I teach my children to live.

I want to encourage you, today. If you are a  parent, please take the time to realize what an awesome responsibility you have been given. Our children are our future. We should be on our knees every day praying to God for guidance and wisdom to raise these precious little ones with whom He has entrusted us.

If you find yourself lacking the wisdom and the knowledge that you need, as I did, go to God. Cry out to Him. He will give you the answers that you need. He will give you the wisdom that you seek.

I pray that as parents we will cling to the promise that is quoted at the top of the page:

 ^“Train up a child in the way he should go:

and when he is old,

he will not depart from it.”

God Bless you today!