the circle maker Archives

Parenting is not for the faint of heart. God gives so much grace and continues to equip me for every stage of raising our brood. There are days I feel as if I am in a battle with my children, but more often, I’m in a battle with the enemy. I’m fighting off the lies he so cleverly whispers in my ear to try to undermine my confidence in this parenting gig.

“But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior.” (Jer. 20:11)

The Lord has prepared me for this. Yes, all of it. Even today. Today is the day I say “see you later” to my college freshman. We spent the day together yesterday and moved him in his dorm this morning. There are so many emotions.

The Lord has reminded me over and over again that my son is His first. He loves him more than me. He will protect him and guide him. My worry is fruitless. I can let go of the worry because God is with me. And God is with him. Yes, I will miss him fiercely. My firstborn is starting a new adventure and it’s time to let go just a little bit more.

I’m okay, because God is with me.

Isn’t this what some of parenting is all about? Learning to let go? From day one, we are training them up, preparing, and encouraging them to be independent. We instill life skills so they are not so dependent on us. We are teaching them to one day walk the path God has set before them. Not necessarily to walk away from us, but to walk toward the life God is calling them to do.

College is the next step on that path to independence. We pour an immense amount of love, time, and effort into our children and hope they recall the wisdom we’ve shared.

My prayer is that this walk of independence will be with God at their side.

Brave is…sowing seeds – especially when you don’t know when the harvest will come.

Our job as parents is to raise our kids to love the Lord. As Christian parents, we have one major goal. We are commissioned to teach them His ways and help them in their walk with the Lord. While we are not responsible for the outcome of the seeds we sow, it is our job to do our best. The rest is up to God and the free will of our children.

If I’m honest, I don’t like the thought that my children might choose to not walk with the Lord. They may not choose Christ. I pray every day my children will love the Lord and walk with Him closely.

Brave is…sowing seeds – especially when you don’t know when the harvest will come.

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While I do my best to raise my children to love the Lord, I certainly don’t rely on my own wisdom. I absolutely don’t know all there is to know about parenting, but I try to curate the knowledge I glean from others along with God’s wisdom in order to do the best I can.

There have been numerous books over the years I’ve read to help me in parenting. Of course, the Bible is number one, but many others have helped me along the way. Here are just a few of the books I’ve collected over the years.

What books would you add to this list? I’m always on the lookout for more, so please share your favorites!