November #jammed: Gracious.

Day 331: Thankful for Brianne.

“The Lord will hold you in His had- a splendid crown in the hand of God.” Isaiah 62:3

My first-born daughter will never know the gravity to which God grabbed my heart and threw it in another direction the minute I knew she was to be. It was as if He screamed at me, “THAT’S ENOUGH! STRAIGHTEN UP!”

I prayed with all of my heart when I was pregnant with her …to be a good mom, to lead her to Him, to be strong and wise and set a good example of how to honor Him. He is still answering those prayers, and growing me in the process. Past mistakes will attempt to trap us while the consequences play out throughout life if we don’t keep moving forward with Him.

This little girl, in every stage of her life, has blessed me beyond what I ever knew to be imaginable. In her graceful and quiet way, she walks through her days looking at me …and it’s a lot of pressure. So, we go to Him together. We pray together, read the Word together, go to church together, sing praise together, and talk about our faith together. In some ways, she’s helped me grow up more than I’ll ever be able to help her.

All of my motherly mistakes typically lie on her shoulders, being the first-born. And with every apology I owe her, she simply smiles and forgives. As she gets older, and life gets harder for her socially, it gets harder for me to guide her. I come running to God more than ever. There are things in this life that I still don’t handle with grace, and it makes me panic to think I will mess up my kid.

He reminds me that she is His. It’s nothing I’ve done to deserve or earn. Motherhood is a gift, a calling, and a journey that will bring us closer to our Creator than we ever thought possible.

Today’s verse in Isaiah reminds me of Brianne. He holds her in His hand …His little princess. Guiding her …and me along with her …step by step back home to Him. What a joy to journey in Christ with my girl.

Father, Praise You for Brianne. Thank You for choosing me to be her mom, and forgive me when I try to take too much control of her life. Forgive the mistakes I make and poor examples I set. Strengthen me to be a better mom, each day striving towards the person You created me to be. 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 First-born-ing,

Megs

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