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"None of us can mess up so badly that our children somehow extend beyond the measure of God's mercy."

This year, with our Princess, we are working on some self-awareness skills. She's learning to manage her time, set goals and break them into manageable steps, recognize her physical/spiritual/emotional needs, and learning to ask for help in areas she needs support. 

Yesterday, we pulled out her new (to her) planner and she began to set it up for the upcoming New Year.

I realized that our life planners no longer match completely. There was a time when the structure of my day, my choices, defined her day. Now, she has commitments, goals, and activities that are completely separate from her father and I. 

Our paths cross here and there, family dinners, events we attend together, outings we choose. But her path also has things that are distinctly her own - yearbook committee, driver's ed classes, dinner with her mentor, appointments, etc. 

As I thought about this yesterday, I realized her spiritual walk is very much the same. 

Her walk is HER walk. 

That is both freeing and stressful for me, I will confess. 

She's made some choices in the last six months that I would not have made for her. She's reaping the consequences of decisions I wish she had navigated differently. She's struggling with discovering who she is when I wish she would embrace what I know I've planted deep in her soul. 

Our paths cross at times, much like our planners. God is growing and stretching me as he challenges me to realize that He's doing a good work in her and I have to WAIT. 

It's not my work to do. 

Her walk is NOT my walk. 

I can place limits and boundaries. I can discipline poor choices. 

But I can't control how HER walk turns out. 

I can lean in to what He whispers to me. Reminds me to feed her love language. Reminds me to nurture her independent streak. Reminds me to keep reaching for her. Reminds me to push sometimes, and others to step back and let her fall. 

I can continue to build a bridge, even if she's digging tunnels. 

I can NOT walk HER walk for her. 

Mama Warriors, I think sometimes we take too much credit for how our kids turn out, and on the flip side we take too much responsibility for their mistakes. 

We make ourselves too important in THEIR story. 

As we get ready to turn the corner into a New Year, make Him the most important component of THEIR story. Turn the triumphs and the trials over to who they really belong to. 

Give Him space to do good work. 

He will.