On raising children...

If someone had asked me over the past 16 years what the hardest part of raising children was, it would have changed quite a bit over that time. When I first had just little ones, babies and toddlers, I would have said that it was so difficult to keep track of them and just keep them out of trouble! As they grew, I might have said it was training them to obey that was so difficult. Fast forward a few years, I was so concerned with schooling them and most importantly, introducing them to Christ. Well, 16 years after my parenting journey began, I think I have encountered the hardest part of my raising my children. It's letting them go and allowing them to make their own decisions (even bad ones sometimes!). While they were little, I made all their decisions for them. As they've grown, that has gradually loosened until one day, they will be off on their own-making decisions for their own families. When my kids were little, that day seemed so far off, but as my oldest two are in their last 3 years of high school, it really isn't that far off. I never believed it would come this fast, but it has. I wonder if I have prepared them well enough for life-sometimes when I see the decisions they make, I realize I have fallen short in so many areas. But not allowing children to live with consequences of bad decisions really wouldn't be preparing them anything. After all, isn't the most important decision in our lives-choosing to accept or reject Christ- one that each of us must make ourselves? As much as I want to, I can't make that decision for my children. As hard as that is to accept, I am thankful also. If each of us didn't choose to follow Christ by our own decision, we wouldn't truly have faith- we would be like robots. I don't want that..and especially not for my children. For now, I pray a lot for my children-that each would come to trust in Jesus as their Savior. I also pray for wise decisions, especially when I see them struggling. I truly believe in my heart that God is working on me thru my children, just as much as He is working on them. So when my child chooses disobedience for the 50th time, despite the consequences, or chooses to fail a test because he didn't study, I will persevere and trust in the Lord-He has a wonderful plan for myself and my children-one that is far beyond what I can see!