"Sacred Parenting"... again! :^)

 So, I shared these quotes almost two years ago with the women in my mom's group-from a book I was reading at the time, Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas. Rereading them just now I felt they 'deserved' another post. Life may have changed a bit but my struggles with parenting are the same, ha! And, if you struggle as I do-I hope these words bring you the same encouragement they've brought me. :)

"... having kids isn't about us-its about him (God)... When we realize that having children isn't about us but is rather about God, then the trials and sacrifices of parenting are more easily borne. We see the purpose behind the difficulty, and we remind ourselves, "This isn't about me; its about him." The ultimate issue is no longer how proud my children make me, but how faithful I've been to discharge the duties God has given me. To pin our hope and joy on the response of any given sinner is a precarious move at best. To pin this same hope and joy on the response of a sinner in his or her toddler years or teen years is to beg for disillusionment and to risk waking up in despair. (Amen!!) Parenting (and marriage) will disappoint us, wound us, and frustrate us. Yes, there will be moments of sheer joy and almost transcendent wonder. But make no mistake-family life can cut us open. If we have only a selfish motivation, we will run from parenting's greatest challenges."  p.16-17

"... Let's accept that both marriage and parenting provide many good moments while also challenging us to the very root of being. Let's admit that family life tries us as perhaps nothing else does; but let's also accept that, for most of us, this is God's call and part of his plan to perfect us. Once we realize that we are sinners, that the children God has given us are sinners, and that together, as a family, we are to grow toward God, then family life takes on an entirely new purpose and context. It becomes a sacred enterprise when we finally understand that God can baptize dirty diapers, toddlers' tantrums, and teenagers' silence in order to transform us into people who more closely resemble Jesus Christ." (Thank-you, Lord!) p. 17

"Christian parenting is truly a sacred journey. It invites us parents to purify ourselves, to use the process of raising kids to perfect holiness (*from 2 Corinthians 7:1), and to do this consistently, every day, out of reverence for God. If we enter it armed with this understanding, each segment will gain new meaning and purpose-even the difficult ones. We live in the midst of holy teachers. Sometimes they spit up on themselves or on us. Sometimes they throw tantrums. Sometimes they cuddle us and kiss us and love us. In the good and the bad they mold our hearts, shape our souls, and invite us to experience God in newer and deeper ways. Although we may shed many tears along this sacred journey of parenting, numerous blessing await us around every bend in the road." p. 21

*The author provides many scriptures in this chapter and one of those scriptures is 2 Corinthians 7:1. He explains the use of this scripture in the parenting context by stating: "Paul first tells us to focus on purifying ourselves, not our children. Many of us are so tempted to focus on purifying our children that we neglect our own spiritual growth." (p. 19) (This "hit" me square between the eyes! )

 
You see, some days I get so caught up in this "parenting" thing that I almost forget-this is my calling. And that, just like with anything else I go through, the Lord is using this "thing" to change me. And if I'll let it, bring me closer to HIM!

Praying for each of our journeys' today!