30-Day Writing Challenge

Day 21: What three lessons do you want your children to learn from you?

Dearest Child of Mine,

Did you know that you are one of the sweetest gifts that God could ever give? You have been prayed for, wished for, and dreamed of long before you came to draw your first breath on this earth. And while I hope you learn many things from me, there are a few that are worth more than all the others. So remember this …

1) Christ alone can satisfy
May you know the Savior of our hearts intimately and deeply. May you turn to Him in your sorrow and let Him absorb all your tears. May you delight in Him as your treasure, and may knowing Him bring you all the joy in your life. I pray you come to know Him at a young age and truly embrace following Him with your life.

I know that your path in life will not be free from temptation, heartache, and difficulty. But I pray that in it all, you will discover that knowing Christ makes it all worth it. I pray that you will meet with Him daily, that you will learn to love His Word, and that you would be excited about sharing Him with others – for this and only this will be the truest meaning of your life.

2) Honesty is better than perfection
I’m a perfectionist, I will admit. And sometimes I unfairly expect it of others as I do of myself. But I pray that I will demonstrate more to you what grace and honesty looks like than anger over failed expectations. I pray that you will learn to be open with me and not be afraid of me. I pray that you will trust me with your heart struggles, and that I would teach you how to bring those to Christ.

I hope that you celebrate your efforts and your growth, and I hope you know every day that I am proud of you for making good choices, even when it’s hard. I’m also proud of you for confessing wrong choices, especially when it’s hard. I hope you will run to me and whisper your heart when you’re confused, anxious, or hurting – and even though I might not have all the answers, I will always, always listen, hold you close, and kiss your sweet head.

3) Whatever you decide to be, be a great one
I hope I never, ever pressure you into feeling like you have to do something with your life that you don’t want to do. I hope that I can help guide you to dreams that you’re passionate about and that you are gifted for. I hope that our home is a place that inspires you to work hard, dream big, and persevere through challenges.

I pray that you decide to do something with your life that matters – that makes a difference in the world. I hope you never stop asking the hard questions, especially the one – “What can I do to help alleviate some of the hurt and pain in the world?” I pray that you get excited about something and then let that excitement leak out of your pores so that it can’t help but infect others with its beauty.

My child, we’re going to dive into so many books and have more adventures than we can say – through old favorites that I introduce to you and new favorites that we discover together.

Sweet one, we’ll make maps of fairylands together and put them on the wall … we’ll dream big dreams for your future, and I’ll be excited and proud to see you accomplish them. I’ll cheer you on from the sidelines, I’ll celebrate your victories with an ice cream cone, and comfort the failures in hugs. I will be there to tuck you in at night and sing you lullabies … we will sing all the time in fact. We’ll sing in the morning, in the car, and in the kitchen as dinner is getting ready.

We’ll have traditions galore in our house, and do our best to remember that each day that we spend together is a gift. We’ll plan great birthday parties, picnics in the park, and days at the beach … we’ll build snowmen together, watch every Disney movie ever made, and color at night while listening to Adventures in Odyssey.

I can’t wait to create dozens of nicknames for you – just like my daddy did for me – and I can’t wait to look into your beautiful eyes – eyes that carry just a trace of your daddy and me in them. There is no possible way that you could be anything less than beautiful because you are an expression of love – your daddy’s and mine.

You will be a miracle … a miracle I’ve dreamed of for years – hoped for, prayed for, and lived for. Many children I have loved in my lifetime and many more I will love. But none will ever be loved by me as much as you, heart of my own heart. You will be my little one … and then my not-so-little-one … and then my grown-up one who becomes a dear friend. Please don’t ever forget how much I love you and pray for you all the time.

Love,
Your Mama