Saturday, June 17, 2017

the most difficult paths sometimes lead us to the most beautiful places.

I'm going to be very honest. Most things in my life have come pretty easily. School was always easy, making friends was easy, college was pretty easy...yes, I've had to work really hard at times, but I have achieved every goal I have set for myself and most things in my life have gone the way I wanted them to go. But...mothering my first born is not coming easy.  The past few weeks have been the most difficult in my parenting journey thus far. But in the middle of my frustration, the Lord is teaching me humility and my great need for my heart to be transformed...and above all, my desperate need for Him.

Mothering my other two comes so easily and falls right into line with how I had planned, but Reid knows how to push every single one of my buttons. He is an amazing kid...he excels academically, is talented athletically, and has the most empathetic heart of anyone I know, but oh how his persistent personality wears me down. These past few weeks have been my hardest yet when it comes to parenting. And I need Jesus. I am learning that I am not in control, and I am not trying to make Reid do things my way. I am trying to show Reid the joy and the freedom that comes with doing things His way. 

God knew I needed this precious boy. Because with lots of patience and prayer, we're both going to be better, stronger, and and a little more like Jesus. 

three.

A few weeks after Jeb and I were married, I asked him how many kids he wanted to have. He responded with, "How many do you want to have?" So on the count of three we decided to both say how many we wanted. At the same exact time, on the count of three, we looked at each other, smiled, and said, "Three." I remember the exact spot on I-40 when that number, that dream, came out of our mouths. Ten years later, I am filled with awe and overwhelming thankfulness at how God turned that one word, our dream, into this. 

They are all of my heart. 💙❤️💙