Loving Even the Worst Parts of Our Children

At the beginning of the year I signed up for the email challenge for Jill Savage's newest book "No More Perfect Moms."  In case you didn't catch my post about this book at the end of 2012 you can check it out here.  I am currently on the review team for this book and though I'm not finished reading it yet ladies let me tell you what I've read so far will not disappoint!  It's not too late to join the email challenge either.  Each email is packed full of tips to get you thinking and help you really grow in so many areas of your life as a mom!

Today's challenge resonated with me quite a bit.  It was about our children.  The challenge is simple, but something that I know will change each of our hearts for years to come as we watch our children grow, change, and learn.

Today's Challenge:

"Take time this week to study your children.  Write down their good qualities.  Record the way they matter to the family.   Tell your children you are learning about them and want to know more.  Thank God for growing you as He grows your child.

We think we are in control, shaping them to become the perfect children we'd imagined them to be.  But sooner or later we realize they have their own personalities, their own temperaments and they make their own mistakes along the way.  We can dress them in our own image but it doesn't change the truth God designed them to stumble and fall as they discover the person He made them to be.  Our job is to hold their hand and guide in the process of discovering their interests, talents, assets and limitations all well letting them know their worth in God's eyes."

Would you join me today in this challenge and if you are inspired then sign up for the email challenge?

Often times even I, the mother of only one child who is only 21 months old hear myself saying "Boy is she independent!"  or "Wow she is stubborn (quickly followed by a ...like her mama :)  As I read this challenge today I realized how independence, and stubbornness can be trained into good things....don't I want to raise my daughter in such a way that she will stand up for her beliefs?  That she won't be a rug to others that gets trampled on but that she would humbly, yet still boldly exhibit Christlike actions in both word and deed?  I can already see so much life in her sweet personality!  She can talk/babble a mile a minute and she is so adventurous, but already I fault her for some of these traits and why?  I love how the challenge today points out that our job as parents is to guide our children in the process of discovering THEIR interests, talents, assets and limitations all while letting them know their worth in God's eyes.  Their interests.  Not mine.

Such good truth for each of us!  Any "bad" traits that you find your children frustrate you with regularly?  Please share them today and also share your new perspective a bit...you might find that those "bad" traits aren't quite so bad after all!

Blessings,