Fill in the Gaps

Eighteen years ago, weighing in at 8 pounds 2 oz and 21 ½” long, my first child was born. I became a mom for the first time. Now I have an adult son and two teenagers (a boy and a girl). Where does the time go!?

I’ve been intentional to soak up every single minute. To enjoy every day and special moment knowing this day would come all too fast. I miss when they were younger and played with trucks, dinosaurs, dress up and dolls. But I don’t necessarily miss my boys imagining they were superheroes and villains while one threw the other into the coffee table and off to the ER we go for staples in the back of his head. 😱 🤦🏽‍♀️ I’m sure other boy moms get it. 😂 I’ve prayed & continue to pray for God to fill in the gaps in our parenting and we’ve trusted our kids to the Lord in the ups & downs.

When they were little, my husband and I attended a parenting conference put on by Dr. Paul David Tripp. So much wisdom and advice came from that conference. My biggest takeaway focused on the bigger picture. Our goal as parents is to raise them to be less dependent on us and more dependent on God. I couldn’t remember all the parenting advice I got, but knew if I remembered this, everything else would fall into place.

Over the years, my prayer became, “Lord, please fill in the gaps in my parenting.” Most nights I went to sleep beating myself up because I kept failing as a parent. Can you relate?

Afterall, we can’t control our kids. They make their own choices. They disobey and rebel. This can be unbearable as parents, but we can’t give in to them when they sin. Our responsibility is to pray, teach them God’s truth, guide and discipline them, and let the Holy Spirit work. Giving them over to God can be hard because we want to be in control. Yet, they need Jesus as much as we do. We can show them we mess up too. We can apologize and show them our need for Jesus. When we rely on Him, we are modeling the relationship with Christ we hope our children will have as they grow.

Overwhelmed with everything I wanted for my kids; I realized I couldn’t do it all. I couldn’t be the perfect parent they needed. However, God can. God is the perfect heavenly Father. He’s my heavenly Father AND theirs. He offers us unconditional love, grace, mercy, forgiveness and more. He’s always here for us. He’s the best listener. He’s amazing. He loves my kids more than I can even imagine. I can trust Him and so can they.

So, multiple times a week I kept praying, “Lord, please fill in the gaps.” When kids were crying, playing, while cleaning, folding laundry, driving I prayed and trusted God to fill in the gaps in my parenting. He is faithful friends.

My kids aren’t perfect, and they know it. 😂 They know they need Jesus. God holds their past, present and future. I am in awe of what He has done and is doing in their lives. Watching them make mistakes, learn, and keep going has been a beautiful journey. Seeing their faith grow before my eyes has been amazing. No matter what age, keep praying. Keep trusting. One day at a time. You are fighting a spiritual battle, but God IS Faithful.

*Join me every Tuesday morning on Instagram and Facebook while I pray the Armor of God for our kids.*

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[b] 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children[a] of one's youth. 5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.[b]"

Psalm 127:3-5

Enjoy some photos of our goofy, imperfect, Jesus loving family. Photo Credit for our Fall 2022 Family photos goes to Joni Streit Photography.