Don't Grow Weary with Doing Good

I am weary.

"Don't grow weary of doing good."

Good morning ladies,

I am sitting outside right now. I just finished praying and my heart is heavy.

I've written several blogs recently about my preteens... and here is yet another one!

I struggle with discipline as I've mentioned (read more HERE). I find myself feeling resentful that my kids don't just learn their lesson and move on. I have to repeatedly head into the same behavior problems over and over. I feel incredibly frustrated by this!

Today was no different. Lying. Both of my girls seem to go through periods of lying over everything. Then I work on being consistent with discipline and the behavior improves. Still, I always find I feel hurt and disrespected when once again my children are lying to my face with no remorse.

So I pray. For me, there is nothing more encouraging and strengthening than talking to Jesus, who loves me more than life, about my children who I love more than life!

So I pray for strength. I pray for perseverance. I pray for patience and grace to do this hard work of training my children in the way they should go. I pray to keep the goal in mind, to love my children well. 

I want my children to be strong. I want them to stand up and do right in a world full of temptations. I want them to be light in darkness. I want them to love boldly and fiercely and CHANGE THIS WORLD with a Love that changes everything! I want big for them... but it starts small. It starts now. It starts here in the trenches. It starts with my faithfulness and my consistent loving training. It starts with my unconditional love for them.  It starts here.

So, as I pray, I remind myself of the bigger goal, of that BIG goal of who they can become. It's not up to me who they grow up to be. It is only up to me to be faithful in loving and teaching them! 

I talk encouragement from my younger self. I was that child that made the same mistake over and over and got in trouble and then did it all over again a week later! I was that child that appeared to be learning NOTHING because my behavior wasn't changing despite the consequences my parents lovingly gave me. 

But guess what? I WAS learning! I was learning cause and effect. I was learning to take responsibility as I was receiving consequences for my actions. When I was older and in charge of my own decisions I did great! I took the consequences of life seriously. I DID learn exactly what I need for life despite the fact that it appeared the opposite. So I take courage in remembering that as I persist in the hard work of correcting and guiding my children.

In ending my prayer time I remember God's words from the Bible in the book of Galatians: 

"Let us not grow weary with doing good, for in the proper time we will reap the reward IF we DO NOT GIVE UP!"

THAT is what I need to remember! That is what I need to cling to. I need to take the strength God has given me for just today, keep the big picture in mind, and NEVER GIVE UP! I love my babies more than life and they NEED me to love them by being faithful in this crucial training period.

Much love,
-Joy

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