How To Turn Your Tough Life Lessons Into Their Firm Foundation: Use Your Story to Build Their Future
So my baby girl is wrapping up her first semester of 3rd grade and swiftly closing the gap between my shoulder and the top of her head! I have been ready to put the brakes on her for a couple years now! She is at that wonderful yet tender age where she often finds herself in limbo between incredibly mature and just wanting to be a kid.
One minute we are engaging in deep conversation, and the next she is in a princess dress insisting her little brother take her to the ball. Of course, not every moment is so precious…She has plenty of days where she is too smart for her own good, insists on challenging my every word and her coming-way-too-soon mood swings have me on the verge of a mommy breakdown!
But more times than not, she is my little buddy. And nearly every day includes a moment that takes my breath away as I stand watching her from a distance and marveling at the incredible, beautiful, confident, wise young woman she is becoming. I am still overwhelmed by the vastness of this deep, controlling, all-consuming force called “mommy love.”
When we first found out Mikaela was a girl, I cried. Not because I did not want a girl, but because I knew first-hand how hard being a girl (especially during those trying middle school years) could be. I cried for what she might face, and because I did not feel healed enough myself to help her with the challenges ahead.
In a way, it was just what I needed to get serious about working through my own past hurts with the Lord. I felt compelled to start writing down things I wanted to be sure I told her before she needed it. Things I learned during major soul-searching cry session on my knees before the Father trying to work through the trials I was dealing with. So much I learned in college that I wish I had known 10 years earlier.
I made a list before she was born called, “Things I Want My Daughter to Know.” It is loaded with practical words of wisdom combined with tons of scripture for the two of us to dive into together as the years unfold. (PDF available…detail at end of post) It has been my aim to pass these pearls on to her at an early age in hopes of sparing her some of life’s pain and preparing her, not only to be firmly rooted in God’s love for her, but also to be equipped and encouraged to show that love to everyone He puts in her path.
If you have not already done so, I challenge you to take some time over the next week to sit alone with the Lord and pray about lessons you have learned that you wish you had known sooner than you did. Write out the scripture, the advice, the guidance that made a difference to you, and determine to do all you can to equip your children for living a fruitful life in Him.
No, we cannot spare our kids every hurt. And there is a lot to be said for learning lessons on your knees one on one with your Creator. But never underestimate the power of your guidance in the lives of your little ones. Who knows? Maybe God gave you some of your greatest revelations more for their benefit than for your own.
If you’d like a Printable PDF of the “Things I Want My Daughter to Know” study, simply enter your email address below.
Check out the Tend Your Sheep series for more along these lines.
