Dear girls,
This week I wanted to write a letter to all of you. I hope Kayden will read this to you before bed, when the house is quiet and you can concentrate on my story.
When we were at Em’s party I noticed something. Do you remember where McKenna laid the gifts everyone brought? Take a minute and think about it… She laid them at Nate’s feet. Even if Em would have been feeling better, those gift would have been laid at her feet. Doesn't that sound like silly that I noticed that. Do you know why I noticed it? I believe God made sure I was paying attention because the entire weekend I thought about gifts.
Do you know that all 3 of you are a gift? Did you know God gave you to your parents as a gift? Some people cannot have children at all, other than through adoption, but He gave her and your dad THREE gifts!
Think about when you really want to buy a gift for someone.You save your money, think long and hard on what you want to give someone else because you love them so much and want to see them happy. You give your time and sometimes you give your money (Both of those are VERY valuable, like treasure) and then, what you do with that gift? You lay them at the feet of the one you got the gift for. One day, when we are in Heaven, God will give us crowns for what we do and how we serve Him on earth. Do you know what the Bible says we will do with those crowns? I bet you can guess. (You will have to tell me who guessed correctly) I imagine, we will get those crowns, hold them, admire them and maybe even try them on just to see if they really fit and then…. We will lay them at Jesus feet! Just like those gifts that were worked so hard for. Doesn't that sound silly? Why would someone spend their whole life serving God just to get a reward and not take it? You may not understand now, but serving the Lord IS the reward!
God gave our children to us and those children were God’s treasures! You were God's gifts that He gave us, remember? Do you know what we did in return? Guess!! I bet you can't guess it… We gave our children (you) BACK to God! WE LAID YOU AT HIS FEET! Can you imagine getting a gift and knowing the person loved that gift SO much that you gave it back to them instead of keeping it? Wouldn't that have seemed funny if Nate would have given all those presents back? You would have NEVER forgotten that party, ever!
What I mean is, God loves you more than anyone else does, even more than we do! Kayden, grab your Bible and look up John 3:16. Now, read it to the girls. Jesus loved us so much that He DIED for us! Now THAT is love! We knew how much God loves each and every one of you so we decided that we would raise you to love and serve the Lord and in doing that, we laid our 5 gifts (Jayden, Kayden, Chloe, McKenna and Skylar) down at Jesus feet. We gave up what we wanted and decided to raise you the way God wants, even when it is hard. THAT’S how much you are loved… Our most valuable things in this world isn't our house, cars, money or popularity, it is YOU!
When God gave you to us, He gave us our own little pieces of sunshine, laughter and chaos! He gave us a piece of His heart tucked away inside of YOU! That's how special you are! Kayden, now look up, Psalms 139:14 and read that as well. Did you catch that? God said we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Have you ever seen something so beautiful you didn't know how to describe it or maybe you gasped when you saw it? That is what we are to God. We are one of His most valuable things in His creation. Isn't that amazing? We are God’s crown with priceless jewels all over it.
Sometimes, we may have to be tough. We may have to discipline or get tough with you but it is ONLY because we are trying to raise our “gifts” the way God would have us raise them. Why is it SO important for us to teach you to have a positive (good) attitude and look at the good people do and not their mistakes? Why is it SO important for us to be kind to other people? What does it matter if we go to church? All of those things are SO important because those are the things that God wants us to teach you. We cannot always be with you but God is. When you are scared, lonely, confused, angry, happy, excited, God is there. Always! Our reward isn't getting a crown in heaven for helping to raise 5, wild children. Our reward is in raising you. Our reward is hearing you pray at the table before our meals and before bedtime. It is hearing what each of you said about what you love about each other at our family Valentine’s Day party. It is seeing you learning. It is seeing you be kind and sharing that kindness with others. Our reward is YOU!!!
We hope you will share your kindness, your heart and Jesus with those around you. I hope you give Him thanks before you eat and before you lay your head on your pillow every night when you are not with us. We love you so much!
This weekend we will be celebrating the one, the only Kaaaaaaayden’s TENTH birthday party!! Bring your dancing shoes and your best moves and meet me at the skating rink!
We love you sweet girls! XOXO
I hope you can see the picture that I am trying to paint. We need to hear that we are God's greatest treasures but can you imagine how much more our children need to know it? If you have a situation that your kids have 2 homes and you may not know what they experience during that time, allow me to tell you something that someone reminded me of lately. Strengthen their relationship with God because He is with them when you are not. He will ALWAYS be with them.
In the past several weeks, I have realized that I am trying so hard to make up for what the girls do not know, that I have forgotten my kids need this as well. I have purposed in my heart to reach out to my own children spiritually more than I have been. I used to really struggle with the fact I was always the "good kid" because I was left alone by the adults because they knew I did what I was supposed to. I craved knowledge spiritually and academically but most people took it for granted that I already knew the things they were teaching. PLEASE don't assume your kids know how amazing they are, not just to you but to God. I am looking forward to seeing my kids put their most valued possessions at Jesus' feet. When that happens, I believe that I will have insurmountable satisfaction because at that moment, I will see my gifts that He gave me at His feet.
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