Raising a Limitless Generation

I filled our a daughters' sandbox with rocks instead of sand. I read somewhere that certain types of sand could potentially make children sick if they ingested it or inhaled its dust. So I panicked and bought 20 pounds of earthtone gravel pebbles for them to enjoy.

Well, no hours were spent memory-making in our rock box. In fact, no moments were even spent there. Oddly enough, the girls had no desire to sit in a pile of pebbles. Apparently, rock castles aren't nearly as much fun to build as sand castles. Tunnels to China aren't as intriguing to attempt in gravel. And no one really envisions themselves relaxing as they bury their toes...in the rocks. 

Because of a fear of endangering my children that I'd developed from a well-intentioned blog, our rock box just sat in our backyard serving no purpose but to hold the ground in place.

And that got me to thinking. How many experiences and life-exploration opportunities have I closed our children off from simply because I was scared of them getting hurt? 

I'm fearful, so I do everything in my power to keep our children safe. But the mere fact that I think I have the power to keep them safe is wrong. Our daughters are God's children, given to us as the greatest award from heaven (Psalm 127:3). And although it's a knee-jerk reaction we have as parents to protect our children and keep them from harm, it's in those dark, hurtful places that we truly establish our dependency on Jesus through the testing of our faith. Just as we're called to be generous with our resources and finances, when we keep our children in closed, tightly-clinched hands, we are limiting them from abundant blessing. If we hoard our children, we can minimize their faith in their Savior because their dependency is on us, rather than their Heavenly Father. 

Now I'm not suggesting we should allow our children to  run naked through the streets or eat whatever they want or live life unattended by adut supervision. Rules and boundaries are necessary. And by all means, if you feel led to protect your children from something, follow that urge. But for me personally, I'm realizing it's an issue of the heart. It's not about me wanting to protect our children, it's about me struggling to trust that God's plans for them are always better than my own.

We are not called to raise children who play cautiously on the playground. We are called to raise children who boldly and courageously live out the gospel, who take risk for the sake of bringing others to Christ. 

We are not called to raise children who love comfort. We are called to raise children who love The Lord with all their hearts, all their souls, all their strength, and all their mind (Luke 10:17). 

Christ did not die on the cross for us or our children to be safe and cozy. He died for us to be free. And that freedom comes from believing in how He loves us.

We are told in 1 John 4:16-18 that when we trust in God, growing in our understanding of Him and His love for us, our love is perfected because He lives in us and us in Him. And this perfect love is an antidote to fear. Loving our children with the love our Heavenly Father designed for our hearts means releasing them from our restrictive fears so that they, too, can understand His love and provision. 

The best gift we can offer our children (along with real sand for their sandbox) is ourselves, grounded in the confidence and truth of our Savior. We have to deligently anchor our minds in the truth of His Word, while we incessantly submit to His pursuit of our hearts. When we allow God to equip us for parenting, our seemingly mundane routines are actually impacting eternity.

As these truths began messing with my perspective on Motherhood, God led me to a resouce that will forever impact the way I parent because it is forever impacting my relationship with God. 

In his latest book, Limitless Life, Pastor Derwin L. Gray candidly offers his life experiences and  passions to transform us from simply understanding Christian theology to being fully captivated by God's love, mercy, and grace. In short, this book messed with me. In a good way.

Pastor Derwin practically guides us to understand that our true identity must be solely based in Christ, rather than in the suffocating labels we have collected over the years. It will equip you, through God's infinite power, to wholeheartedly embrace the understanding that you are loved unconditionally-regardless of your past, your faults, or your failures. It's imperative that we invest time into building our relationship with Christ so that we can pass down a heritage of unshakable faith to our children. Limitless Life is an unparalleled resource for you to utilize as a foundation or cultivation of your faith in Jesus. It meets your where you are in your walk and challenges you to go deeper. It's not technically a parenting book, but it's certainly book every parent should read. It will empower you to unapologetically lead your children to capture and seal these truths in their own hearts.

As a special treat, and through the generosity of Thomas Nelson, Inc. and Pastor Derwin, I have signed copies of the book to bless two people with! So if you are a parent with a desire to overcome your labels of defeat or you know someone who could benefit from these gospel-based, life-altering truths, simply comment below and two winners will be chosen on Monday, September 9th. (Please be sure to include your full name)

Can I pray with you?

Lord, I pray that you overwhelm us in this moment with your presence. Let us feel your love that has no limits. Open our eyes and hearts to see ourselves as you see us, so we in turn can love others with a bold love that expects nothing in return. Perfect your love in us so that we can fearlessly parent our children and unashamedly lead others to fervently chase after you. Ignite a fire in our hearts and empower us with your wisdom and courage to change the world for your glory. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen.