Did Our Parents Love us?

From toddlerhood, we fight our parents for what we want. I remember being so angry at my mom for making me go to bed before Mork and Mindy came on; what was that woman thinking? Didn't she know how important that show was to me? After all, I had the lunch box and a poster on my wall. Did she care about me at all? We didn't understand the wisdom and care of our parents. We just wanted what we wanted and we were often willing to pitch a fit over it, much to their frustration. As children, we could not possibly understand the love (or exhaustion) that motivated their actions. The love that laid awake at night waiting to hear our car pull into the driveway and the same love that prayed night and day as we went our prodigal way was not something we could begin to grasp.Looking back, I can say with confidence that my parents wanted good things for me. Any rule or expectation they put in place was for my good, not theirs. My parents wanted me to be safe and happy, successful and kind. They expected me to work hard and do the right thing. I am certain that they had high hopes for me as I walked through my teenage years into adulthood. They loved and supported me well. Not perfectly, but no matter how they parented me, I know that their intentions were for my good.I am reminded of my childhood as I try to parent my own children, and experience their resistance. I just shake my head and wonder, "why can't they see that I am doing this for their own good?" When I yelled at my teenage son for not wearing his helmet when he skateboards, he could not understand how this mama's heart breaks at the thought of him injured and hurting.

Do We trust our Father?

How many of us grownups are resisting the hand of our Father right now? I can't help but think how often we doubt his goodness, his perfect love for us is. Instead of trusting his plan and his ways, we blaze our own trail after what we want. Like children, we think we know what's good for us and we question our Father's plan. We even question his love for us when things don't go our way.I worship Him and sing, "You're a good, good Father. It's who you are. And I am loved by you. That's who I am." Yet, at times I am that obstinate child doing my own thing, demanding my way, and questioning my Father, my God.Oh, the amazing grace of God. It's that grace that pursues us as we walk down our own path. The same grace rescues us from ourselves and leads us on paths of his goodness. We are blessed when we choose to follow, when we can't see the why of his plan but trust his perfect love. He truly is a good Father in every way, every day.Have you been childish lately, resisting the plan and wisdom of God? Are you struggling to trust him with something in your life right now? Have you taken matters into your own hands believing you know what's best? Be reminded today that your Father loves you and only acts out of that love for you. Will you trust him today?

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;    he’s the one who will keep you on track.Don’t assume that you know it all.    Run to God! Run from evil!Your body will glow with health,    your very bones will vibrate with life!Honor God with everything you own;    give him the first and the best.Your barns will burst,    your wine vats will brim over.But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;    don’t sulk under his loving correction.It’s the child he loves that God corrects;    a father’s delight is behind all this.

Proverbs 3:5-12

But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD, I say, "You are my God." Psalm 31:14

I am praying for us both today, that we would trust Him as our Father.  I pray that we would fully surrender our will and ways to the one who knows us and loves us most.Watch this video by Lauren Daigle and be encouraged today.