finding peace

Lord, give me wisdom. Lord, help me find peace.

i continue to ask God to give me wisdom as i come up against challenges with my teenagers. it seems like the only time that they give me any problems at all is when they have to do something they don't want to do when they don't want to do it or they are not getting to do something that they want to do when they want to do it.

i remember being a teen.

life was all about having fun and going out and being with my friends.

i remember.

i remember wanting to get my way and being frustrated when i didn't get it.

i remember.

i remember thinking that my mom did not know what she was talking about most of the time.

i remember.

i remember not wanting to do what my mom told me to do when she wanted me to. i wanted to do it when i wanted to.

i remember.

it wasn't that long ago.

but, i was still wrong.

i was wrong to think that i should be able to get my way when i was told it was not going to be able to work out this time.

i was wrong.

i was wrong to think i knew more than my parents.

i was wrong.

i was wrong to not immediately do what my mom asked me to do.

i was wrong.

i didn't think so then, but now i can see it so clearly. hindsight is definitely 20/20.

just because i remember what it was like, doesn't mean that i condone the selfish, inappropriate behavior that is frequently found in a teenagers life.

remember, i said i was wrong then.

disrespect, selfishness, and rudeness is absolutely uncalled for and ungodly. i have no desire to live in a home with teenagers that are unable or unwilling to look inside themselves and recognize wrong behavior or attitudes that need to be dealt with.

but, like i said before, i remember the thoughts of self righteousness that raced through my mind when things did not go my way.

i remember.

there was no way that i would have seen the error of my ways by any gentle or harsh reminder from my parents. so, i know that it is not me who is going to be the One that is going to move in the hearts and minds of my teenagers to cause them to see Truth.

it is not me who is going to be able to convince them that they are wrong in any way.

it is not me.

it is not me who will birth respect and honor for authority in their hearts.

it is not me.

it is not me who will create in them a pure heart that loves God and others more than they love themselves.

it is not me.

i can not do that.

believe me, i have already tried to do that job and i have failed.

i failed because it was not my job to do.

but, in failure i have hope.

because the imperfect one, me, has turned the job over to the Perfect One.

i am off the hook.

my hope is in the Lord now.

the first step in me being able to experience the fruit of godly behavior in my teenagers is to trust them to the One who manufactures that fruit in the first place.

He bears the fruit in them.

He does the work.

He gets the glory.

and, i get peace.



Lord my children were your babies before they were mine. You love them more than even i do. i trust them to You. create in them a heart that longs for you and desires to please you. woo them by your love. open their eyes and their ears and help them to experience Truth. draw their hearts to your will. amen!