Do you have children?  If so, you’ll understand there is no greater joy, challenge, or delight than that of being a parent.

From the time they are born, the stewardship of parenting begins.

And while the first year deprives more parents of sleep than military boot camp, the ability to protect and shelter those newborns from all the pitfalls of the world are pretty easy.

But then they grow and with each passing year, they learn, absorb, and react to the environments around them – outside of the home and in.

It can be scary, disheartening, emotionally draining, and unnerving as you walk with them through the ups and downs of growing up.

Navigating everything from bad words to broken hearts can be exhausting.

Parents need a safe place.  A place to anchor their hearts and souls when those daunting moments arise and it feels like your parenting world is spinning out of control.

In the midst of raising my four children, I quickly realized the crucial need to keep God’s promises in front of my eyes (sticky notes all over the place helped) so that my heart didn’t faint whenever we hit one of life’s speed bumps.

Here were a few of my favorites that I prayed often and spoke out loud frequently:

“A righteous person acts with integrity; his children who come after him will be happy.” (Proverbs 20:7 HCSB)

“They will not labor without success or bear children destined for disaster, for they will be…blessed by the Lord along with their descendants.” (Isaiah 65:23 HCSB)

“All your children will be taught by the Lord; great will be the peace of your children.” (Isaiah 54:13 NAB)

To be clear, not every day looked (or felt) like my children would be happy, blessed, or peaceful (like these promises stated).  Quite the contrary!

There were many days, months, and even years when I questioned if I’d ever see these promises come to pass in the lives of my kids.

But that’s where faith comes in, doesn’t it?  Or sometimes just plain hope.

The beauty of God’s promises is that He brings them to pass.  Not us.  He does the work in the hearts of our kids.  Not us.

He gives us His promises so that we can bind our hearts to what’s sure and eternal, not what’s fickle and temporary.

We just grab hold of His Word, pray, and trust the He loves our kids even more than we do.

Until next time, Grace and Glory!