Called to be a Blessing!

Hello Friends!

1 Peter 3:8-9
Called to Blessing
8  To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; 9 not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.

Today, I just wanted to take a second and speak about some of the things that we have been learning as a family in this journey.  Every morning sitting in the Presence of the Most High, encouragement to charge forward on this daily path despite the sheer cliffs looming in the distance comes from much prayer and reading of the Word.  Our family has been struggling. Struggling to be kind to each other on a moment to moment basis.  Fortunately, Tim and I meet with other like-minded families at church each week and discuss parenting issues and struggles.  We get so much encouragement from the others! Constantly, our eyes are directed back to Scriptural cures for our struggles. Here is a small encouragement for other families with teens and pre-teens.


We have begun to read Paul Tripp's book Age of Opportunity.  As we enter the teenage years with our kids parenting has begun to really change quickly.  Nothing bad just different.  The unimaginable friendships that are sprouting from the children who just a few years back were in a very different place with their maturity continue to grow and flourish.  However, this has not been without a trail of emotions and tears that some days are not pretty.  I love the passion and flashes of amazing insights that my teens constantly provide.  Desperately, I desire to point their hearts toward the God who never fails them.

Anyway, we have been struggling with some inter-ralational things for years and they have not changed much with my approach (run and hide.)  So, we are working at digging out some heart issues in each one of this.  Unfortunately, it is exhausting and takes much prayer and digging in the Word.  However, sometimes I see glimmers of change that encourage me to keep at it despite the difficulties.  Instead of running away or ignoring things I have spent some time by myself praying about what I feel is the heart issue of each of my kids, searching the Scriptures, and then approaching each of the kids in turn.  This is difficult--I will not lie.  I spend so much time on this approach.  My hope is that it will bear fruit soon before my knees get too baggy!  Sometimes I relapse into my old approach of turning a deaf ear and running and hiding but then I realize that in the next few short years my fledglings will fly and they need life skills honed in this laboratory of my house.  Thank-you Lord for the strength to carry on!  I will keep you posted in a few years of how this turns out or maybe you can judge for yourself when you meet the results! Welcome to our Lab....