Doer

"God wants you to take a step of faith that will be messy before he turns it into a miracle."

My Xman and I have been working on his anxiety since he was an infant. I've always known it was inside him. It took my pediatrician 5 years to believe me. It took the UGA psychologist one phone conversation to tell me "maybe - call back in a year." I called back one year later exactly, and she told me "yes." 

I actually cried during his initial interview. For the first time, in 5 years, I told someone my baby, my precious old soul of a 5 year old, was struggling. And she believed me. 

Since that moment, we've been persevering through anxiety therapy. In anxiety therapy, you basically work on what they call "exposures." You "expose" your child to something they struggle with, over and over again. Setting limits, pushing boundaries. Making him do things that are hard for him. 

I will confess. It's unbelievably hard. It's overwhelming. 

But, I'm not raising average kids. I'm not raising kids who just get by. I'm not lowering the bar for my kids. 

Whenever I think about this - I always think of the Cosby episode where Theo asks his Dad, "Dad - wouldn't you love me if I was just normal? average?" And his Dad exclaims "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." 

We don't raise kids who aim for average. 

I'm raising kids for His kingdom. Kids who are fearfully and wonderfully made. Kids who can do hard things. 

Because if I shield them from this hard thing, or that hard thing - I haven't taught them how to be tough. How to have GRIT. 

And let's face it, doing hard things is part of the Christian walk in today's world. They have to be able to say "no," to take hard stands. 

22 Don’t just listen to the word. You fool yourselves if you do that. You must do what it says. James 1:22

I have to raise "DOERS."

Mama Warriors, it's easy to want to make life "easy" for our kids. We have to make them do hard things. We have to be their biggest encourager, but also their parent. We have to say I know this is hard, but you can and you will do this. Because it's our job to raise kids with character. 

It's not our job to raise the kid with the highest grades, or the kid who makes the best teams, or the kid who has the most activities. 

It's our job to raise the kid who is a warrior for His kingdom.