Good morning! Parenting is probably one of the most difficult things I have ever done but it is also infinitely rewarding! This week has been a week of both extremes.
The things I find difficult: discipline, punishment, dealing with disappointment, feeling like you’re doing something wrong, never knowing what the right thing to do for your kid(s) is, having to repeat yourself ALL the time, and many more things!
The things I find rewarding: watching your kid(s) grow, watching them love the things they do, watching them ‘get it’ in different stages of life, learning to love in a way that you never knew was possible, helping them learn to navigate life, and many more things!
In the beginning of this week, Josh did something that called for me to discipline him. Trying to help him understand the severity of the choice he made, I decided to bring on some hefty forms of discipline.
The most difficult thing about this is always trying to help your kid(s) understand the ‘WHY’ behind the bad decision they made and helping them walk through the next steps of resolution. The tricky part is not being too hard and not being too soft. I never want Josh to be so mad at himself that he can’t rebound, learn, and grow. But I also don’t want him to be unfazed by any bad choices he makes.
I have some pretty great parents, but they are not perfect – just like me! The good things they did to steer my decision making and help me grow, I hold on to and use with Josh; but the bad things, I try not to replicate.
Mer and I use the Bible as the source of our parenting. There is no better place to go than to a PERFECT FATHER. He disciplines, brings correction, points out areas in our lives that need to be addressed – all while displaying ultimate, unconditional LOVE!
LOVE has to be the base of every interaction for all of our relationships. The closer you become with the people around you, the more of a chance there is to experience frustration, confrontation, and disappointment – but if we walk through those moments exemplifying the LOVE of Jesus, we have the opportunity to experience the closest, most meaningful connections possible with another human being!
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
John 15:12
Just like Josh could NEVER do anything to make me stop loving him, we could NEVER do anything to stop our God from loving us! He LOVES us more than we could ever imagine – He is LOVE! Spend time today reading His Word, conversing with Him in prayer, and worshipping Him by applying His Word to your life!
We will experience the lows of needing correction and discipline while experiencing the high of a rewarding relationship with our Creator! In the same way that NO ONE could ever love Josh more than ME – NO ONE could ever love you more than our Heavenly Father!
Heavenly Father, thank You for helping us parent the gifts that You have given to us! Thank You for providing everything we need to LOVE others in the same way You love us! Help us to filter the choices we make during every interaction, in every relationship, to honor You and LOVE the people who are closest to us! In Jesus Name – AMEN!
Be Transformed 