“When you discover who God made you to be,                                                                you’ll never want to be anyone else.”  – Bill Johnson

Our oldest turned 18 this week and there are so many thoughts with this milestone. The first is how fast it has gone. People tell you this when they are young, but it is true. Much has happened over these years and the one word that comes to mind is grace. When I look at her beautiful senior pictures, I see and know grace. Despite how much I love this child, I have made many mistakes…but grace. Fear had a tight grip on me during those early years and shaped many parenting choices. However, she has grown up to be a fearless young lady. Perfection was a priority, but she aims to reflect Christ,  not a perfect version of herself. Insecurity ran high, but she is secure in who God has made her. One act of loving grace after another.

She celebrated with sweet friends and they danced the night away. Our back porch was transformed into a dance floor and they all learned the basics. I told them these were life skills since they live in Texas. Some of our kids joined in and we two-stepped around our kitchen. We caught glimpses of big smiles, confidence gained and friendship. They two-stepped, spun like crazy and laughed a lot. More of this needs to happen and I pray we can do this often in our home. To have a home where our kids want to invite others in is another gift of grace to us.

While we do not have this raising children to know and love the Lord down, we do know where our help comes from. We have seen that when our kids hearts and heads know who they are; which is created, chosen, precious, a sinner saved by grace and loved beyond imagine, they slip into their true identity. This 18 year old walks this out daily. And if the Lord has given us grace in all my parenting mistakes with this one, will He not do the same for each of us?

Happy 18th Birthday, Maggie!

*Senior pictures by our talented friend, Corri Robinson.