What I want My Girls to Know

Psalm 136:1 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

My girls are now 21, 18, 14, and 11.

Over the years, I’ve had the honor of not only being their mom, but their teacher. So, we have been together a lot. Probably more than they would like some days.

I have found that just being together and doing life side by side is the best way I can help mold their hearts.

I confess, I’m NOT confrontational. I don’t do hard discipline well (less so the longer I parent) and I hold to the saying “Mom is only as happy as her least happy child.” It is true.

My girls are probably older and wiser than their years. The past  several years for our family have been hard and they have had real life lessons no adult would want, and no child should have to go through.

So, we have learned, together, on many days that mom does not have all the answers. I remember they asked me some truly hard questions right after their dad had his cardiac arrest and I had to answer honestly, “I don’t know what is going to happen, but I know that whatever does, we are not alone, God is with us, he will carry us, and we will face it together.”

I can’t tell you how scary it was to NOT be able to just tell them “Everything is going to be fine.” It has been far from fine. Hurt has been heavy but so has grace.

I remember my pastor telling me once, “Crisis grace is the grace you need in the moment you need it.”

And that was true at every crisis point.

God’s grace was and is enough.

I also recall when the really hard waves hit our family, thinking, “God, I have lived a long life. I have so many years experiencing your faithfulness. What about my girls? I don’t want them to look at this situation and think you are not good. I don’t want their hearts to be bitter.”

And in those moments I had to trust that God loved them way more than I do. Their hearts are in his hands.

Looking at the landscape of today and what tomorrow may bring I don’t have a lot of answers for my girls–even now. What I want my girls to know today is that:

We can look back and see—God has always been faithful.

We can look down and trust that his grace is enough for now.

And whatever the future may hold, we can trust that the core of his heart for us is steadfast love and kindness. Even when we don’t deserve it. Especially then.

The truth is, if I could have held back the storms over the years with my own hands I would have. But, if I had, where would they be now? What would they know of the faithfulness of our God?

I’m grateful we can trace his hand and trust his plan.

No matter what.

Looking Forward,
Stacey