Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Finding Your Way Home

Well I've been away from things for a while and I have lost my way a bit. Now school is out and things are starting to settle into a weird routine. The kids do their thing and I do mine. My oldest is only 10 and she's already into the hormonal pre-teen stage. We do our fair share of butting heads. I actually try to avoid her on some days.

Then yesterday, out of the blue, and completely by accident, an old friend called me. I haven't seen or talked to her in years. Her daughter is now 17, almost 18. In the period of 2 or 3 years my poor friend has been through quite an ordeal.

She got divorced from the only real father figure her daughter ever knew. Her daughter has run off any man that she has shown any interest in. Then the laundry list with her daughter began. She dropped out of school, got arrested for shoplifting, was involved with drugs and much more.

After talking with her it dawned on me that this was God giving me a wake up call. From the outside looking in I saw that her daughter was craving attention and direction and her mother was too busy trying to earn a living and make a new life for them after the divorce. I'm not blaming her, things happen, life happens. Sometimes we're too close to the situation to make certain decisions.

This was my "aha" moment. MY daughter needs guidance and direction and attention. This is hard with three other kids and a husband that works A LOT. But after our short conversation I knew that God was trying to get me to see that now is the time to refocus my attention onto my children, to teach them what they need to know. Not just about reading and writing and math, but about manners, about God and Jesus, about staying true to yourself, having compassion and loving your neighbor, about following your dreams and God's plan.

So when the world has you in a fit perhaps it's time to focus on God, his ways and his timing. Take a step outside youself and circumstances and make your way home.

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