Thank You God!

There are times when you just have to stop and say, "Thank You God."

It has been a while since I posted due to family visiting from out of state, but now that they are gone I hope to get back on track.

As moms we all want to be able to have our children come talk to us about any issue going on in their lives. When we try to talk to them and ask them how things are going they don't always have a desire to talk. The moments they do want to talk are few and far between.

Today was one of those days. After running some errands with one of my girls we came home and went for a bike ride. Now most of the time when I ask the girls this they don't want to go with me. Today she took me up on my offer. We took our bikes and headed to the Board Walk. We had a lot of fun and conversation just happened.

I was very impressed with the amount of spiritual maturity this daughter was exemplifying. We were discussing certain issues they are having to deal with in their circle of friends and as she continued to talk I was becoming concerned about some of the things she was saying. As she got into the conversation more and told me how she spoke up for what she felt was right I realized she was very mature in what she did.

Here I was ready to do something about the situation. I had already been praying about the situation, but when I heard these things I was ready to "do" something. After hearing what she had to say I knew she was very capable of hearing from God and doing what He would expect of her.

As moms it is our desire to protect our children. We do not want to see them get hurt or overlooked, especially when you feel they have been treated wrongly. We have to remember they are God's children also and we have to let them grow up. Sure we raise them and teach them how to live according to the Word, but it is, many times, hard for the parents to let go of them in order for them to mature. We may have the tendency to think they are not mature enough to make decisions, but if they do not get out there and learn by mistakes they make, they will not be able to mature.

Part of maturing is allowing our children the freedom to learn from mistakes. It is definitely hard to see them make a wrong decision, but we need to ask God for wisdom and guidance to help us "let go and let God."

I had tried several times, in the past, to talk to this daughter about this particular situation, but she never wanted to talk. In fact most of the time she thinks I am in the way and being nosy, when I am honestly concerned about what is going on. By spending time riding our bikes together, just having fun, and talking, a God moment happened. We were able to talk about all aspects of the situation and I was able to bring out the good and bad points of both sides of the situation. If I would have sat her down and tried to lecture her on the issue she would not have listened.

This is all part of "intentional mentoring" I wrote about in a previous post. Look for these opportunities and be ready for them. If I would have been too busy and not wanted to spend the time with my daughter, or did not even ask her because she says no so often I would not have had this time with her.

This was an opportunity to spend time with someone I love and want to help influence in the right direction. One day she will understand and be thankful also.

So...I want to say, "Thank you God!"