Moms, It’s Worth It

I’m spending a week out of state visiting my younger daughter. She is married, a mom of an almost-2-year-old, and works part time as a barista. I’m chillin’ in Starbucks, laptop open getting some work done, but also watching her as she works. An unusual experience not being her mom but just being a customer sipping a tall decaf reserve something something misto with caramelized honey crystals (I’ll never get these Starbucks names right, ha!). I don’t know – she makes me cool drinks when I come. At home it’s easy – Rook Nicaraguan pour-over, 2% milk, 1 sugar. But I digress…

I value the opportunity to observe. To wonder. How in the world did her father and I produce such a gem? (gem: a highly prized or well-beloved person – yup) You know what I mean. Do you ever look at your grown daughter and just say a prayer of awe and thanks for the gift? The honor? The grace that He would take all of your mistakes and shortcomings and bring this beautiful young woman to maturity in Him in spite of her very human parents?

I am an ordinary woman. Married mom of 3 grown kids, now all married with families of their own. No super job accomplishments in my lifetime. No patients will ever know that I typed their medical reports. I wonder if the 4th and 5th grade students I had fun teaching in Christian school way back when remember my name. I think some of my customers at the bank might remember some of our chats fondly.

But my kids? That’s what I’m most grateful for. That’s where I’ve left my mark for eternity. I am awed by the people they’ve become.

Because of our parenting brilliance? Ha, no, because of grace. 🙂

Because when they were just starting high school God got ahold of my heart. After 25 years of being a believer, God reached down and directed me to seek Him intentionally. Not the occasional reading and spotty praying I was used to. But to rise early every day and spend time learning to know Him through His word. This is what my kids woke up to from that time on until they left home – dark house, light on in the corner of our dining room, Bible open on my lap – “Good morning, honey.”

Even though we read the books and did the Sunday school and Christian school and home school (and finally public school), we couldn’t cause their hearts to be captured by Christ. What we could do was show our kids what real life looked like submitted to Jesus. The blessings, the faith challenges, the choices, and the cost.

They saw me change. They saw our marriage change. At the crucial time when they were making their own life decisions, God captured my heart in a visible way.

Mr. B was always diligent, faithful. I was more Martha to his Mary (so to speak). But we became a team even more then, and God poured out grace. He provided ministry for my older daughter, great enduring college friendships for my son and Fellowship of Christian Athletes to help my younger daughter get through high school. Grace upon grace.

Is this a how-to? No. Am I going to give you 10 steps to assure your children will love the Lord? Goodness, no.

But I will encourage you to seek the Lord intentionally if you’re not doing it already. (Stick around – we’ll be talking a lot more about this.) Get to know Him through His Word. (Yes, this too.) Don’t read books if you’re not reading and understanding The Book.