"Shepherding a Child's Heart" is not my standard this holiday season:

I know that God has gifted my husband with wisdom, discernment and grace to help me all the time!! But there are sometimes when I feel like God is actually present when we discuss an issue I'm dealing with!! I realized yesterday that I have this obligatory standard of Tedd Tripp's "shepherding a child's heart" hanging over my head, attached like a balloon following me wherever I go!!! When I fail to live up to the principles in the book (you know like when I yell at my kids or take something away from them out of anger instead of spanking them in love), I am a bad mom and my kids are ruined!! I've been viewing my motherhood like one would who tried out for a sport. I am not good enough for the sport, I've tried motherhood out and didn't make the cut. 

David shared these thoughts: 

"You know Mozart's or Picasso's works are great!!! But they are nothing compared to how we feel about our kid's work!!! God sees me and my failure and is so delighted in me!! Not because of how I've disciplined that day but bc of Christ and bc I am his!!" He said Phil 2 (I think) "not that I've already obtained it or have already been made perfect, but I press on towards the upward call of God in Christ Jesus!"

He said I'm lacking faith thinking that these kids are going to be messed up because of me! That is faithless bc they are God's children, and he is accomplishing good for them. God knew my capacity, my failures, my sin and he chose me to be their mother anyways!!! 

I need to be free from performing, but I do need to see that In that moment I do have the capacity to walk in righteousness bc through God's grace he gives me ability to obey, but Instructing a child's heart is not the standard, God's word is. And when I fail to meet God's standard, he still delights in me as a mom BECAUSE OF THE WORK OF CHRIST!! "If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness!!! Repent and believe, right! Repent of my failure and believe these children are Christ's!! Believe God sees me through the lens of his son not of a mom who fails!! 

So, maybe this season you see yourself as a bad mom or maybe you see yourself as a good mom, the later just as corrupt as he former!! Throw your view of who you are as a mom under the work of Christ!! This season rejoice because your ability as a mom does not depend on you but on the God who came as a baby, born in a manger, one who would know the capacity of man! Fully man, fully God! He understands yet he walked on this earth sinless! Not stained by his failures, but arrayed in righteousness! Yes this season, enjoy Christ the babe who came to earth to rid you of your failure as a mom! Breaking the walls of inability and standards!!! Christ took his sinless life and gave it to you as a MOTHER!! Christ took your life as a mom, your anger, your lack of discipline, your lack of love for your children, and he took God's wrath for those sins and was punished in our place!! Shepherding a Child's heart is the BEST book on how to rear and discipline kids (disclaimer: the book does point to Christ and is not just a book on principles!) and our house uses these principals laid out in the book. But in the end it is just a book and will burn!!! I want my life to point to Christ and not to  a book of standards. I hope that if you come to my house this season, you might catch us living out principles from Tripp's book, but more than that I hope you see Christ! Praise God who came to earth to save me as a mom!!!