November #jammed: Gracious.

Day 332: Thankful for Lauren.

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

Marveling at the sweetness of my first-born daughter, I couldn’t image being blessed with another child like her. When God says that He’ll bless us more than we can ask or imagine, He isn’t kidding. Lauren came into the world before she was supposed to, and that has typified her personality. She plays life by her own set of rules …ours being completely optional.

There is a frustration that attempts to surge through my disciplinary side as her mother. Impoliteness and lack of manners from either of my daughters simply isn’t tolerated under any circumstance. And boy, does my second child test the limit of my fore-head vein.

But there is something so pure and innocent about her, that makes it very easy to forgive her and hard to want to change anything about her. Though she is fiery, she wears this verse from Nehemiah on her shoulders. It’s truly who she is. The joy of the Lord is her strength. She has a gift to lift other’s spirits like I’ve never seen before. She’s funny and carefree, confident in who she is and Whose she is …imperfections and all.

To me, she’s a testament to the lack of control I have over who my daughters are. They are completely different! What works with my first hardly ever sticks to my second. And that draws me to Him even more. Just when I thought I had parenting figured out, He showed me that it’s been Him all along. Prayers and answers. Seeking and finding. Asking and waiting. Hoping and knowing …that they are His first.

Lauren reminds me that God created us each so differently, and with our own purpose according to His plan. It’s exciting to watch her grow, and even more exciting to dream about what His plans are for her life.

Our job as mothers is a pretty crucial one. We teach them manners, how to respect themselves, respect others, and how they should be treated with respect. We teach them how to be kind and how to be a good friend. Girls are sensitive and conversational, and weaving their faith into the very thread of who they are helps them to understand themselves. By pointing them to Him, we give them the greatest gift of comfort a girl can have: knowing they can count on a dependable God. A Joy that will never leave. A Love that will embrace them, always.

Father, Praise You for Lauren! Thank You so much for her joy! Forgive me for being too hard on her at times …and other times not hard enough. She is amazing, and I am blessed beyond belief to be her mom. God, You are so good. Help me to lead her to You, always. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace! 

#greatgrace17

Happy Second-child-ing,

Megs

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