Train up a child in the way that he should go…..
Training is HARD work.
Constant.
Never ending work.
Some days it feels overwhelming and impossible. But we keep at it, and every now and then God grants us teeny tiny peeks into His work in the lives of our children.
Just enough encouragement to keep us pressing on.
Today marked the launch into another school year. Unique because middle brother joined big brother and little brother started preschool…..so for the first time in nearly a decade I will have several quiet uninterrupted alone hours to my week!
Which also means for a few hours a week all of my tiny humans won’t need me, won’t be in my care, won’t be with family, won’t be dependent on us as parents, and the training we have done will be their foundation. Thinking about that can drive a mama bonkers! From little things like will they use their manners at lunch, to will they be kind on the playground.
I was sooooo ready for today to come. For summer to end and kids to get back into a schedule and routine and have some quiet time to think like a normal human…..and then they were gone, and it was quiet and my thoughts went wild. I missed them dearly and spent all day praying for them.
It was in the praying for them that I realized that the training part isn’t the excruciatingly hard part of parenting. It’s the launching part. Yeah, the training part feels impossible, but that’s because it requires so much perseverance. The launching part requires so much faith.
As I whispered prayer after prayer for my boys and their teachers and their classmates and everything that came to mind….I heard God whisper back. Reminding me that this never ceasing prayer I was engaged in was exactly what He calls me to.
I launched little boys on little missions today. To be obedient and kind and have a wonderful day at school. But one day, they will launch into this world with God given missions and God ordained tasks and that is going to take some big faith.
So the stress and fear of today helped me launch some new faith for my walk. Along with some new prayers for my boys.
