Sometimes this is all that is needed….<\/p>\n
Parenting is a hard job and a rewarding one and also a never ending and ever changing environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaking the decision to have a child – it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. \u201d Elizabeth Stone<\/p>\n
In reflecting on this ever changing journey of parenting, I find myself at times facing feelings of failure, fighting regret over things I wished I had done differently, things I wish I had said sooner or things I now know that I soooo wish I had known when my children were younger BUT I believe in the Grace and Mercy of God and the ability to change and grow in every season of my life and that includes changing me and my thinking, even now as I am parenting adult children. My interactions with my kids and their spouses (who are and will be my kids, too) and my grandchildren, are just as important if not more important than when they were little. Every new season is an opportunity to grow again and learn new things about myself, my God and my family. This is one of the things that I am learning and working on:<\/p>\n
BE PRESENT – its not about controlling or fixing, although its hard not to try. The important thing I am finding is to be present. God is present and sometimes He just sits close to us, waiting for us to reach out to him and realize we need Him. It is the same as a parent – sometimes all we can do is be present and wait patiently for them to reach out. Love and wait, pray and wait. Give space and time and freedom for our children to choose. Give insight, thoughts and then be present. Gentle reminders of truth and then be present. Encourage and cheer them on then be present. Sometimes I worry and then I pray and then I get back to being present and waiting patiently. Believing the best, champion their dreams, focus on the gold, the treasure they are and ALWAYS be present.<\/p>\n
(Present defined – being near, in the moment, in attendance, nearby, attentive)<\/p>\n
My children are my heart – in saying that it then reminds me that I am a child of God and realize I am His heart and maybe just maybe I think I am beginning to understand just a little about how He feels for me and that thought fills me with joy just knowing He is present with me in the midst of my journey.<\/p>\n
Psalm 139 – (Passion Translation) – He is with me, present in every season of my life!<\/p>\n
Lord, You know everything there is to know about me. You\u2019ve examined my innermost being with Your loving gaze. You perceive every movement of my heart and soul, And understand my every thought Before it even enters my mind!<\/p>\n
You are so intimately aware of me, Lord, You read my heart like an open book And You know all the words I\u2019m about to speak Before I even start a sentence! You know every step I will take, Before my journey even begins! You\u2019ve gone into my future to prepare the way, And in kindness You follow behind me To spare me from the harm of my past. With Your hand of love upon my life, You imparted a Father\u2019s blessing to me! This is just too wonderful, Deep and incomprehensible! Your understanding of me brings wonder and strength.<\/p>\n
Where could I go from Your Spirit? Where could I run and hide from Your face? If I go up to heaven, You\u2019re there! If I go down to the realm of the dead, You\u2019re there too! If I fly with wings into the shining dawn, You\u2019re there! If I fly into the radiant sunset, You\u2019re there waiting! Wherever I go Your hand will guide me, Your strength will empower me. It\u2019s impossible to disappear from You, Or to ask the darkness to hide me, For Your presence is everywhere Bringing light into my night! There is no such thing as darkness with You. The night, to You, is as bright as the day; There\u2019s no difference between the two!<\/p>\n
You formed my innermost being, Shaping my delicate inside And my intricate outside, And wove them all together in my mother\u2019s womb. I thank You God, for making me so mysteriously complex! Everything you do is marvelously breathtaking! It simply amazes me to think about it! How thoroughly you know me, Lord! You even shaped every bone in my body, When You created me in the secret place, Carefully, skillfully shaping me – From nothing to something! You saw who You created me to be, Before I became me! Before I\u2019d ever seen the light of day, The number of days You planned for me, Were all recorded in Your book.<\/p>\n
Every single moment You are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider, That You cherish me constantly in Your every thought! O God, Your desires toward me are more Than the grains of sand on every shore! When I awake each morning, You\u2019re still thinking of me……<\/p>\n
God, I invite Your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through, Find out everything That may be hidden within me. Put me to the test, and sift through All my anxious cares. See if there is any path of pain I\u2019m walking on, And lead me back to Your glorious, everlasting ways, The path that brings me back to You.<\/p>\n
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Sometimes this is all that is needed…. Parenting is a hard job and a rewarding one and also a never ending and ever changing environment. \u201cMaking the decision to have a child – it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. \u201d Elizabeth Stone In […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[28,18,29,31,30],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/reflectionsofmyjourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/reflectionsofmyjourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/reflectionsofmyjourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reflectionsofmyjourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reflectionsofmyjourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=83"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/reflectionsofmyjourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86,"href":"http:\/\/reflectionsofmyjourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83\/revisions\/86"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/reflectionsofmyjourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=83"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reflectionsofmyjourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=83"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reflectionsofmyjourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=83"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}