Peace in Our Parenting
Parenting is a lifelong job that is the most difficult job you will take on, and once you have it, you have it for life! No one can prepare you for the utter highs and devastating lows every parent experiences. Maybe this is why it can be so stressful and anxiety-driving! There are so many reasons parents struggle with peace, but in this episode we focus on three main points: Attachment Expectations Forecasting We remind ourselves that our children are separate people from us that are given free will by God to make their own choices. Although they will certainly encounter suffering in life, we will keep our eyes on the prize: Heaven. And we will remember that every mess, no matter how big can be cleaned and redeemed by Jesus! We offer our children and our parenting to Him! If you are dealing with a constant level of stress day to day in parenting, consider whether you are taking on too much. it could be helpful to write out everything that is currently occupying your mind and then dividing them into four quadrants: important AND pressing, important NOT pressing, NOT important but pressing, NOT important and NOT pressing. This helps me think out what I need to focus on and what I just need to cross off my list. The Holy Spirit is more than capable of reminding you of something later if you just have to say "no" to something good right now. Lastly, as moms, we are so good at predicting the way things are going to turn out and that helps us as we prepare and teach our kids. But it can also lead to a lot of stress if we are constantly forecasting the way things will eventually affect our kids and how our kids will turn out. Remember that God will continue to be with your children long after they leave your house and that every mess they run into can be cleaned!