Parenting is one of those things that causes you to see how fallen you really are! It challenges your core beliefs and reveals your inconsistencies. Calling you to wisdom, parenting displays your ignorance and may we even say foolishness.

Where does all this come from, you may ask?

Recently my children had picture day. My son brought his proofs home complaining that he looked too pale and wanted to get a retake. I thought he looked great - he is fair like his mom, but he didn't look too pale. My daughter got braces in March. She got them off last week. (I know that is sooo short - disgusting). She realized that the retakes would happen AFTER the braces came off, so she wanted a retake as well.

I chose to let them have a retake. At the time I thought, "they are being goofy," but let them do the retake thing.

Talking with my husband about this whole thing I came to the conclusion that I made a mistake. I should have let the original pictures stand. I should have taken the opportunity to let my children know that they are fearfully and wonderfully made. I should have used their discontent to speak the greatness of our God. I should have let them know that it isn't appearances that matter but what is in the heart. Instead, without realizing it, I fueled the belief that what is on the outside counts and that we should take every opportunity to make our outsides look better.

We live in a culture that tells us that we are not good enough, cute enough, smart enought, witty enough, fit enough, you name it -- we don't quite make the cut. So we have surgery to "fix" us. We spend hours in the gym to look a certain way. Our young children spend 10 hours a week practicing a sport in hopes that they will be good enough to play for their High School in 7 years.

Do we really want our children to think that if they aren't the best athlete that they aren't "good enough?"

Do we want them to think that if they don't make straight A's that they aren't "good enough?"

Do we want them to think that if they aren't the best looking child in their class then they aren't "good enough?"

GROSS!!!!!

How many adults are still fighting these lies? We probably all are in some way or another. Obviously, I am fighting the lie that there is some "perfect parent" list. :-)

So -- I give myself grace and purpose to move forward speaking truth into the lives and hearts of my precious children. I want them to know the truth of God and His word and be able to recognize the lies that the world is hurling at them.