Conversations with familiar friends is one of the ways that God gets through to me. Heart to heart and face to face sharing is unmatched heavenly glory here on earth.
One such conversation has been on repeat in my soul for a few days now. Point blank I revealed to my friend a startling fear that had come upon me. She understood. She did not condemn nor belittle the reality of my worry. She did not validate it either. She simply spoke truth to it, to me. I am so grateful for her. I am so grateful for the truth that God has placed in her which she was able to minister to me.
The fear? Irrelevant.
The truth? Timeless.
This is the gist:
“I want my children to know: who they are and Whose they are.”
Yes! That is exactly what I needed to hear!
Who…
This calls to the verse about train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. “In the way he should go” refers to “the natural bend”. As I see my children lean towards their specific talents, gifts, abilities, passions and the like I can enable them to explore these aspects of their personalities, thereby helping them to find out who they are. We can foster an environment of confidence and freedom thus boosting self-esteem and celebrating diversity in the uniqueness of all humanity.
Whose…
A high self-esteem bolstered and flourishing can quickly rot to high-minded, slippery-slope pride when not treated with humility under the hand of our Maker. Humble humans who know Whose they are will not seek to separate themselves, rather they will find refuge in the One who can help. They also choose to see others through the eyes of Whose they are, which can only lead to a better society when we know that those are eyes of love, acceptance and hope.
Who and Whose. This is one of those non-negotiables that I am going to instill in my kids’ lives:
1. Learn to love.
2. Love to learn.
3. As parents we will make mistakes. You are welcome.
and now 4. Know who you are and Whose you are.
on 
on 
on 
on 
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh you are such an intentional parent.
I have become aware that my “word” for this season in my life is INTENTIONAL.
I am savouring these thoughts.
Love you friend!!
‘Intentional’, wow, great word. May the Spirit continue to inspire intentionality in your family.
Love you, too!
Dear Friend, I have to admit that at times I feel like you do all the ministering in our friendship… it encourages my heart to know that God uses me to minister to you as well! You are a treasure of a friend and your trust in me means the world! Love you!
Oh my gracious, Laura! You, YOU, the you that is YOU ministers to me ALL. THE. TIME. Seriously. I don’t tell you that enough. Be encouraged, today, knowing that you encourage me all the time.
Love you, too!
any advice about how to teach them that ballance of self esteem and humility? i would love any pointers you could throw out there.
Balance… there’s a tricky word for you.
I generally only advise a small fragment of society to focus on the treacherous pursuit of balance: circus performers who walk tight ropes. Ha! Ok, but pointers I will give. I am going to do a post just for that… coming soon. 
I think this is a lifelong process, I still struggle with it as an adult. Helping our kids see their strengths, and weaknesses is such a valuable thing to do. God gives us insight that they need to have, and so do friends. I have had teachers at our school make comments about my kids that really helped me to see things that I had missed. It also is a blessing to know that God gives these gifts to each child to be used in our family and our community. He has a purpose for them that is different from their siblings and that is okay. Friends are such a gift, thanks for posting about your fears. God Bless You.
Signe! Thanks for leaving such a thoughtful comment here at the @.
Welcome.
I agree that this is a lifelong struggle and process. Community is so important.
God bless you, too!
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