Raising Our Son

We were talking to friends last night and got on the topic of raising children.  I so admire the way they instilled in their children above all else how much they were loved and how gracious they were with them.  I am amazed at how we can intentionally change from the way we were raised.  We can choose to do it differently with the help of God.  Parenting is not for the faint of heart.  I know we will be tested, challenged, etcetera, but we can do this with the power of  God.  I am reminded how we are so dependent on Him and that that is a good thing.  We cannot raise our son without the wisdom, knowlege, grace, and love of God directing our words, our steps, and our lives.  So many parents focus on being sure the behavior is "right", but where is the heart of the child?  We can all change our outward behavior, but our hearts can still be far from where God calls it to be.  Each stage of life brings different challenges.  Am I going to find the joy in this season?  Am I always looking for the next season?  I can see where my tendency has always been to do what is right...it is black and white, right or wrong...but what is the bigger picture here?  Do we want our son to just pretend and look good on the outside or do we want his heart to follow after God?  That is our mission as parents- to point him to the heavenly Father and show him  how much he is  loved.  We need to pay attention to the spirit of our little boy- what specifically does he need?  What does he need for discipline?  We do not want to break his spirit, but rather spur  him on to as far as he can go.  We need to realize our son is to fulfill the plan that God has for him, not our plans for him.  He is not here to make us look good or bad, this is about his soul and training, teaching, leading, loving, challenging him to find his own way with his God.  We are here to launch him out.  If we do it with love and grace we will catapult him further than we have been able to go ourselves.  Remember to encourage!  Fill his love account to overflowing as there will be times we will need to take some withdrawals or we will  accidentally withdraw.  He needs to know how much he is loved.  We are God's hands and feet, we are his representatives to extend His love and grace to Josiah.  It is not our job to control him, tell  him what to do, but rather lteach him to learn and figure things out for himself in a safe place.  We need your help Father to keep our eyes on You and to remember to seek after You and the wisdom You have.  You know our son better than we do, You created him and You know what he needs at each moment.  Teach us to seek You with our whole hearts.   Give us what we need to raise this boy in such a way that he will know he is loved by you and by us so that he will fulfill the destiny that you have already ordained for him.  We will make mistakes, redeem those Lord...