United We Stand

A long time ago a group of individuals came together for one purpose. Freedom.

Freedom to speak, love and to determine the path of a country. They didn't put their faith in a man or a group of men. They put their faith in God. They worked together to create our nation. A nation I'm proud to be a part of.

Lately I've been saddened by the number of people, many I call friends or family who took to social media and used it as a platform to attack. Rather than showing love and respect they painted groups with ugly words and inflamed speech. All because of a couple of individuals and what they say they stand for. It was immediately an us against them mentality. If you even hinted to side with one over the other you were suddenly painted with a wide sweeping stroke of judgment.

I saw people argue and spew ugliness to people they say they loved and they showed no respect for a difference in views or opinions. Suddenly people who were united were divided. People I called friend grouped people who voted differently than them into a stereotypical category of uneducated or racist or whatever word didn't agree with their views.

How did we get to this place?  A place where if you don't agree with someone you are considered an evil person full of hate. How did we suddenly decide that one man or woman was the only hope for our country?  If our country is made great because of one person then we are in a sorry mess. Our country is great because it was founded on God. Right now it looks ugly and torn apart. Why? Because we took our eyes off of the one thing that made this country great. Not a party or a person but a Rock. A solid Rock that stands before our country and will stand long after it's gone.

I heard it said this morning that if you have hit rock bottom then know that the rock at the bottom is Jesus. He is the rock. The cornerstone. My prayer for the country that I love and that I'm proud to be a citizen of is that we will go back to where we started. Back to God. He is the only thing to unite us. We need to seek Him and strive to be like Him so we can love one another rather than categorizing and dividing people.

It's Not the Same

So for the first time in a while my babies are both home. Sleeping under my roof for just a couple of nights. I'm blessed to have them here and I'm so thankful. But it's not the same. It came wth sudden clarity last night that it really will never be the same. They are grown. They don't need me to tuck them in or take care of them.

Wow.  That's kind of a hard thing for a mom to acknowledge. I've struggled for the last few months with redefining my roles. And this just made it exceptionally clear that the roll of mom is pretty much done. Now it's more like counselor, friend and safe haven. I don't have to do for them. Now I just have to be for them.

I get to be their cheer leader, prayer support and place to run to. But I hope that I have taught them one thing above all else. I can't be the only one they run to. They have to run to God first. I can't fix or be all they need and no one in this world can.

When our relationship as parent shifts it's a challenge. We have to know when to draw the line and release them to the God who knew them before us. Our relationships with our parents can be tricky. I'm so blessed that my parents are still living and still there when I call. I see so many broken parents relationships and if only they would forgive.

I'm far from the perfect parent and I haven't been the perfect child (although I'm the favorite ;) ) but I know one thing. Family is all you have when life gets hard. Family by blood and family of God. But if you can't forgive and let go then you will often be on your own.

So now that I've rambled a bit I'll just say this. Life changes, you move forward and you keep loving and you keep forgiving and you keep seeking God above all else. Because when nothing seems the same God is. He never changes and He is always there