Thrive Moms: Loved Sample

“A Legacy of Love”

I have a child that is an “animated feeler.” If she’s happy - it’s BIG happy. If she’s sad - it’s REALLY BIG sad. Emotions are all over the place in our house to begin with, having three girls. Don’t get me started on emotional roller coasters. When you bring the animated feeler into the picture, everything just gets bigger. She lives her life outside the lines, and as her type-A mom, it gets tricky.

Perfectionism is my default. Until a few years ago, I saw the Bible as a strict list of rules. It was quite a day when I grasped the word “grace.” So many of us struggle with this - seeing God as a dictator with a list of rules. While yes, He did give us His Word as a guide map of how to live more like Him - He gave us His son to take away the need for those rules. Grace is a beautiful thing, isn’t it? Something we need constantly as parents.

How do we create a legacy of love for our children without pushing our own agenda and pushing a list of rules? I find this especially hard with children who are so different from us. It’s fairly easy to parent a child who is similar to you, you understand how to love and connect with them. It’s always more difficult to show God’s love to people you struggle to see eye-to-eye with.

As we’ve talked about being made in the image of God - God’s image is so much bigger than we can imagine. He showed us that by creating us so differently and giving us all amazing gifts. Over and over in His word He commands us to love one another. Use your gifts well, and love each other. If that’s the lesson our children take away from our home, what a joy that will be!

It’s time for us to be parents of love and of grace. To pass on a legacy of love by showing our children the face of Jesus in everything we do. I know you’re thinking “but you don’t know MY child,” trust me - I know. Remember my animated feeler? I understand, friend. Motherhood is 100% hard and God’s grace and love makes it 100% beautiful. Keep passing that love around every second you get, and you will raise up amazing children who love Jesus no matter how animated they may be.