Day 3 - Monday, October 3, 2011 - The Decisions I Make

When she was a little girl, all she cared about was climbing magnolia trees and watching fireworks at the 4th of July picnic.  Her world was filled with baby dolls, Mars Bars, and swimming with her friends each and every summer.  She never knew of hate crimes, human monsters or betrayal.  Until that night.  The night where she learned of her father's unfaithfulness.  It was in that moment where every ounce of innocence was shattered and everything she knew about trust and commitment was forever altered.  I wonder if we parents really know the significance behind each choice we make.  Even as a "big girl," my life is still impacted by choices my parents make.  So, if that is true for me, then I know it is true for my own children.  As a mother, I pray the Lord will help me teach my children more than just who He is.  He is so much more than a Biblical figure we celebrate at Christmas and Easter.  He is the Redeemer.  The Restorer.  The Healer.  And He wants all of His children.  All of them.  He doesn't want even one to be left behind.  He wants everyone of them with Him for eternity.  I know I will fail just as my own parents failed me a time or two.  But I have the power to teach my children about Jesus' forgiveness and the restoration that takes place within the relationship I have with Him.  And He wants that with each of them, as well.  There's no greater lesson than that.  "Our very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at them.  Christ, Himself, wrote it.  Not with ink but with God's Living Spirit.  Not chiseled into stone but carved into human lives.  And we publish it."  -2 Corinthians 3:3 (The MSG)