4th Quarter Parenting

Hello Blog. It's been a while. I did very little writing in 2010 except for what is in my journal. I would mark it as one of the most amazing years I have had with the Lord. The message from His heart to mine was one of consistency and great relevance. I will be blogging about the top 10things God taught me in 2010 over these next few months. Can't wait to share them with you.

But first things first. One of the things I like about myself is that I am a morning person. I love the early morning. I love the quiet, stillness. I love getting my cup of coffee and turning on the fire. (love my gas logs) I love opening the Word of God and wondering what He is going to speak into my life of this particular day. I love covering my family in prayer and asking God to go before us, to bless us and for His favor to shine upon us. I am so thankful for God's Word and His faithfulness to me and my family.

Ha, my family. They can all sleep til 10:00 or later. And even on school days they kick into high gear around 9:00.p.m. All 3 of them. It drives me nuts. Most days I have been up since 4:45 or so and by 9:00 I am toast. This is one of those things I have to fight in motherhood. I have to tell myself this is THE 4TH QUARTER. The game is not over. I have to pull up myself up by my bootstraps and stay in the game. After all, I want to win the game. I want to leave it all on the field.

Last night I literally drug myself upstairs to their rooms to begin our "good-night' routine.
As I was tucking Katelyn in, I said to her, "Do you know what I love about you?" Her eyes lit up and I could clearly see that she couldn't wait to be bathed in the love, acceptance and encouragement that only a mother can give. I told her that I loved her heart for Jesus and that she was one of the sweetest, most kind people I had ever known. She smiled. And then she returned the blessing. My heart was overwhelmed as she shared what she loved about me. We prayed together and I was reminded how precious these moments can be and I was thankful that I did not send her off with a kiss, crawl into my own bed and miss altogether the blessing God had for me.

Many times in the late evening the window of my teenager's heart will open. In simple terms: she wants to talk in lieu of texting. That is not the time for me to sit on the bench. It is time for me to stay in the game. To finish strong. I was reminded once again how important 4th Quarter Parenting can be. Most of the time, it is the most critical time of the day...the time when the hearts of our children are open and their cups are ready to be filled.

The older my children get, the more difficult this becomes. I know they need it. I know how very important this is in their lives. I am committed to 4th Quarter Parenting this year and believing that the seeds of God's love that will be planted into their hearts will produce young women who diligently seek after the heart of God.