The Principal's Office

Here's a great article for parents by Lysa TerKeurst.

http://proverbs31devotions.blogspot.com/2009/04/principals-office.html

So often we tend to define ourselves and form our identities on our accomplishments, our children, our careers, our ministry, our marriages, our relationships, our position in life, our wealth, our possessions, our successes, and our failures. It's so natural for us to hang who we are on the tangible, the things we and others see. It's so easy to become puffed up with pride in our accomplishments, thinking we are better somehow than others because of these accomplisments. Conversely, we also tend to beat ourselves up over our failures and allow them to also define us, hindering us from experiencing the joy and peace that is found in Christ. However, this is not how God intended for us to be.

God loves each and every one of us with EXACTLY THE SAME LOVE. We are HIS workmanship, HIS child in Christ! Our identities shouldn't rest on the laurels or the failures of this world. Instead, our identities should rest in Him! We should define ourselves based on who He has created us to be. Our goal is to remain pliable to His perfect will, striving to live wholeheartedly as an instrument of His Hand. Even as parents, we should not beat ourselves up if our children are not perfect in every way. We should not seek our identities as parents based on our children's behavior, successes, or failures. Instead, we should define ourselves as parents on how we are responding to God's will in raising up our children. We should strive to be godly parents, seeking His guidance and wisdom, and relying on His strength every step of the way. We should be praying parents, on our knees daily petitioning for our children. No child is perfect, that's why God gave them parents - to teach them and help shape them into the people God wants them to be.

In His Love, Cathy