Oh man, did this resonate. We were 19 when we had Tim, and 20 when Jeff arrived. We thought we were done. We laughed at our friends who had kids in their late twenties and planned for the future. The kids would be in college by the time we were 40, right? And God laughed back. I remember exactly where Nancy sat 14 years later, telling me she was pregnant again. She was crying, but they were not sad tears. I was shocked, immediately going into "now what?" mode, still trying to control life as if God had no effect at all. What a dope. But God was working.
Derek was awesome. The older boys loved him. We submitted to God and purposed to have as many more as God would give. And to parent them better than the first two. I was hard on the older boys for two reasons; it was what I knew and because I was still trying to grasp ultimate control of every situation. But God was still teaching, still working. Nancy was 5 months pregnant with our fourth, Andrew, when the lessons got harder.
3 weeks shy of his first birthday, Derek died of SIDS. The stress almost caused Nancy to miscarry Andrew. A fork in the road of life we never wanted to take. That one event changed everything, but in this context I would echo that it changed our parenting, particularly mine. Yes, less spankings, but also more patience, more grace, more love. All things our heavenly Father continually shows me started to show up in my parenting, by HIs grace.
And God, again in His grace, extended our family further. My "older boys" will be 39 and 38 this year. Andrew is 22 and getting married the Saturday after next. Karalynn is 20 and a junior in college. She has been on mission trips to Iraq, Turkey and Costa Rica. Amy is 18, just graduated HIgh School and gets back from a mission trip to the Dominican Republic today. My son Jeff and his family are visiting from Hong Kong, and I can hear three of my grandkids running around on the floor above me.
I am grateful I am not the same parent I was at 20. I am grateful that God is not done yet.
He's still working. All praise to Him for He is Good!
"Every good parent carries regret. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or too proud to know better. Don’t trust them."
Thank you. I am decluttering. Every box holds regrets for yesterdays and fears for tomorrows. Repent. Lean into His grace. Love will prevail. I see that. God is faithful. This article is encouraging.
Oh man, did this resonate. We were 19 when we had Tim, and 20 when Jeff arrived. We thought we were done. We laughed at our friends who had kids in their late twenties and planned for the future. The kids would be in college by the time we were 40, right? And God laughed back. I remember exactly where Nancy sat 14 years later, telling me she was pregnant again. She was crying, but they were not sad tears. I was shocked, immediately going into "now what?" mode, still trying to control life as if God had no effect at all. What a dope. But God was working.
Derek was awesome. The older boys loved him. We submitted to God and purposed to have as many more as God would give. And to parent them better than the first two. I was hard on the older boys for two reasons; it was what I knew and because I was still trying to grasp ultimate control of every situation. But God was still teaching, still working. Nancy was 5 months pregnant with our fourth, Andrew, when the lessons got harder.
3 weeks shy of his first birthday, Derek died of SIDS. The stress almost caused Nancy to miscarry Andrew. A fork in the road of life we never wanted to take. That one event changed everything, but in this context I would echo that it changed our parenting, particularly mine. Yes, less spankings, but also more patience, more grace, more love. All things our heavenly Father continually shows me started to show up in my parenting, by HIs grace.
And God, again in His grace, extended our family further. My "older boys" will be 39 and 38 this year. Andrew is 22 and getting married the Saturday after next. Karalynn is 20 and a junior in college. She has been on mission trips to Iraq, Turkey and Costa Rica. Amy is 18, just graduated HIgh School and gets back from a mission trip to the Dominican Republic today. My son Jeff and his family are visiting from Hong Kong, and I can hear three of my grandkids running around on the floor above me.
I am grateful I am not the same parent I was at 20. I am grateful that God is not done yet.
He's still working. All praise to Him for He is Good!
"Every good parent carries regret. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or too proud to know better. Don’t trust them."
Thank you. I am decluttering. Every box holds regrets for yesterdays and fears for tomorrows. Repent. Lean into His grace. Love will prevail. I see that. God is faithful. This article is encouraging.
Beautiful. Thank you so much for this.
Thank you as a young mom I needed to read this.
This content sure beats every pastor’s commentary on tariffs, racism, and the latest, distant wars. Thank you for the earthy stuff.