I am excited to share my friend Kristy’s post with you today. There are moments in parenting that can feel discouraging, but Her perspective about our investments in our children is inspiring and encouraging. I felt greatly encouraged as I read her story!
Kristy Harrang has been part of the THRIVEtoday team since 2020. One of her greatest passions is seeing people transformed by Jesus in all areas of life and living a life fully surrendered to Him. She loves to spend time with her husband and kiddos and enjoys healthy cooking, sunshine, and listening to worship music.
Parenting is not about the short game. It is all about the long game – the many small moves, decisions, and bits of growth that add up little by little over the course of years.
My kiddos are amazing, and there is so much goodness in them that I see each day. But at the same time I see their weaknesses as they are growing and maturing. I don’t know about you, but sometimes it feels like my investment into my children of teaching, loving, modeling, and relational skills training is falling on deaf ears. Is it making a difference?
Will they ever be kinder to each other? When will they better recognize when their relational circuits go off, or navigate conflict with a win-win perspective. I wonder if they ever wash their dishes without having to be told!
Now that I have one child in college and another soon following, I am beginning to see the fruit of seeds planted and watered over many years. These older children have greater awareness of when relational circuits go off and increased hunger to grow in God. They better understand how their actions affect others and display more tenderness toward people. Maturity is happening, and the many seeds sown through the years are blossoming in a beautiful way.
I am not a gardener, but I know that a lot of patience and trust is involved in the process. You plant seeds, water them, tend to the soil, and wait. The same process holds true for parenting. Our job is to invest into our kids by loving them, leading them to Jesus, and passing on valuable relational skills. And then we need to rest and wait, trusting that God is at work in their lives.
So often the transformation is happening under the soil and hidden from our sight. But if we keep at it, eventually we will see the fruit appear. This is the encouragement God has been breathing into my heart in this season.
If you too need to be reminded not to lose heart as you wait to see good fruit sprout in your own children, I pray that you find encouragement and grace today, knowing that none of your investment is wasted. God is using it all and is at work in their lives, even when you can’t see it.
Very well said, Kristy. This is so true and good to encourage young mamas.
Thank you, Barbara!
Amen
I have tears in my eyes. My five range from almost 17 to 7, and I am deep in the struggle: sowing in tears and with many prayers, pruning and training, trusting God to bring good fruit in his time, and learning to look for and focus on the good, the true, and the beautiful. The battle is real and this is just the encouragement I needed today.