Be a Daring Parent

I love being a mom. 

Now, before I lose anyone, let me also share that yes, there have been some really hard, difficult, sacrificial aspects of my vocation, like when I had three children in three and a half years, and my husband and I were both still in our early twenties, learning life as well as each other. 

In my thirty years of mothering our eight children, I have made mistakes, painful mistakes. That’s not just me, that is you, too. I know this because I have had deep conversations with hundreds of mothers throughout those thirty years. I know that I am not alone. 

Raising children is not for the weak or faint of heart. It is truly hard work. 

WITH ALL OF THAT LAID OUT, I can say with every fiber of my being, that I love being a mom. 

That does NOT mean I have loved all of the hard times, but if I’m honest, the difficulties have probably given me more gifts than the good times. 

What I have learned is actually beautiful. We are all broken. That’s just the nature of humanity. Our kids, even though they look and behave perfectly, have wounds and emotional baggage and brokenness caused by original sin, us parents, their friends and basically the world.

THAT IS NORMAL.

So instead of looking at the “fruit” of that tree, which is the acting out, the snarly words, the impure behavior, we need to dig deep into the root system. That means that you and I, as parents, need to be willing to do the hard work of parenting better.

THAT is what excites me.

Guess what my kids want? They want one thing: acceptance.

Let that sit with you for a second. Think about your life. What would it have meant in your life if you would have totally seen, appreciated, loved, accepted?

That’s all you really needed. And that’s all our children really need.

It sounds achingly easy to do. But then our children show up with their bad breath, bad hair and bad attitudes.

That’s the moment, mothers. That is the moment. We can fix them or love them.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of trying to control everyone. Jesus, heal me of my desire to control. Come in and give me Yourself.

I want to love like Jesus.

I want to love ferociously. I want to love unreasonably.

As we begin summer, I would like to extend this invitation to you:

This, primarily, means to parent from a place of love instead of fear.

What’s the difference? Well, when I am in fear, I worry. I blame myself. I shame my children.

When I live in love, I allow the Gospel Message of Truth to fill me. I let Jesus fill every pore. 

Saturated with Him, I see, smile, accept, enjoy. 

KNOW THIS: The Gospel Message of Jesus and the absolute freedom He brings is more powerful than anything you are up against. 

Be a Daring Parent. 

We.are.all.together, walking the same road, trying to raise strong, independent, responsible adult children who love God, themselves and others. 

Let Him in. Let Him see you and love you as you are. You’re pretty amazing. 

Can I get an Amen? 

P.S. 
This summer I am going on a journey. At first I thought I was going to focus on food and eating in a cleaner way, but during prayer, I was invited to a deeper place. The invitation came: Let me in, Lori. 
I sat with that for two seconds and then just smiled. Yep. My walk of faith cannot be with words: "I love you, Jesus."
He wants my heart.  
This is probably the most important aspect of parenthood.
Find out more here. 

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