So my baby girl just turned four! And I am ready to put the breaks on her!!! She is at this wonderful, magical age where she can grasp so much, and yet life still holds so much wonder. One minute she is quoting scripture and praying incredible heart felt prayers and the next she is in a tutu and a tiara imagining her wedding and doing twirls with her eyes closed. 🙂 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 order and whines so much I find myself on the verge of a mommy breakdown! 🙂But more times than not she is my little buddy. It has been this way since she was born. The two of us going everywhere together. 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 had learned during major soul-searching cry sessions 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.” I plan to pass these pearls on to her at an early age in the hopes of sparing her some of life’s pain and preparing her to be, not only firmly rooted in God’s love for her, but also to equip and encourage her to show that love to everyone He puts in her path.
If you have not done this, 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 your little one’s life. Who knows, maybe God gave you some of your greatest revelations more for their benefit than for your own! As you prepare them for a new school year, take time to equip them with more than new clothes and the proper notebook. Take time to make sure you are giving them the things only you can give, the wisdom and insights that money cannot buy.
