According to my mother, I was an easy child to parent. Until I wasn’t…and that happened around the age of 12. That’s when the challenge of parenting me began…from my mom’s perspective.

I’d never really taken the time to think about what parenting me has looked like from God’s perspective.

That is until I reached this season of parenting adult children. Then God whispered to my heart that there are significant similarities in the parenting of my adult children and His parenting me.

You spend 18 years raising, teaching, training and preparing your children for the world. Along the way, people tell you that you’ll blink your eye and the time will have passed.

Depending on what season of parenting you’re in, you might have rolled your eyes and said “Yeah right” or even “Can’t come soon enough”.

Yet, in the midst of it, it seems like time moves as slowly as molasses…until it doesn’t.

Somewhere along the way in those 18 years, you did blink and time made a giant leap…at least it seems like it did.

Before you know it, those 18 years weren’t long enough…and even with all of the raising, teaching, training and preparing you did in those 18 years it just wasn’t enough.

Or was it?

I have free will, as do you. God will not force me to do anything.

I have control of each step that I take and every choice I make. No questions asked.

Sometimes I might stop and ask Jesus what He would have me do. If I feel like it.

Other times, I rush ahead and do exactly what I want. No matter the consequences.

If I’m honest, I’ve tended to do the latter for most of my life. Prone to mistakes I am.

All the while Jesus is probably watching me and shaking His head. Wondering what went wrong.

How could she have missed the mark? She knows right from wrong.

Why didn’t she recall My words? They’re written in black and white.

What can I say? I’m just a dumb sheep in need of my Shepherd.

If only I would remember that sooner rather than later. There would be a lot less heartache in my life.

I would hope that the challenge of parenting me, from God’s perspective has gotten easier over the years.

But, again, if I’m honest, I know that isn’t the case.

While my choices don’t tend to be as drastically wrong. I still miss the mark…daily.

This challenge of parenting me will not end. I am human after all.

The challenge of parenting my “little blessings” will not end. They are forever mine.

Grace. It always goes back to grace. Just like my Pepaw always said it did.

Grace gifted to me. Grace to gift to my own.