we're ALL little stinkers

we have four boys. not sure if i've mentioned that before. haha.

they're really close in age, want to do everything together... sometimes to their detriment, like to be defiant at the same time, enjoy challenging me with their behavior...

hey, i'm not saying i don't like a challenge but sometimes it can be a doozy.

each of our boys is magnificent and challenging in his own way. God made them and He's quite the Creative Genius, yah know.

one little man has been particularly challenging lately. and i'm not saying this to complain but to encourage!

i might have mentioned this before but at one point during Christmas break, i said to my amazing father-in-law that i know as parents we are supposed to pick our battles, but sometimes with judah there seem to be more battles to fight. on many different fronts.

he said it was like guerilla warfare with judah.

so so true.

now...let's get one thing straight...i'm not a momma who believes in speaking negatively about our little ones. judah is awesome. he has come such a long way and has made amazing strides since we got him three years ago. he works hard and loves hard and plays hard. he's our son who is most like my hubs, which is so very endearing.

he even sorts his gummy bears like his daddy. cutie pie.

but some children can be more challenging than others. and that does not mean they're bad kids. 

we all have things we need to work on, adults included. some of us learn faster, some of us have more to learn. 

i'm pretty sure judah will be a pastor. 

almost every pastor i know was a stinker as a child and really kept their parents on their toes. --and has hilarious stories to prove it. 

i'm pretty sure that's where judah is headed. because God's gonna do something mighty with this mighty little man.

*i did not tell him to pose like this with that sad wee face. that was his mood showing. 

laura, a friend of mine, told me some sound advice a few years ago when the hubs and i began parenting and her words have stuck with me.

she told me that in parenting, there will be seasons of challenge and difficulty, some more so than others. 

if you are diligent in these seasons and dependent on God to do His mighty work, you will probably reap a harvest. if you aren't diligent, the rough season will last longer and often with little-to-no positive change.

i have seen these words proven time and time again. this rough season is with judah. the last rough season was with gabe. the next will probably be with one of the other two. 

the goal with raising children is not perfection. --theirs or ours. the goal is teaching our children that none of us are perfect. we sin and need a Savior. 

--in this i take heart. i am not alone in this endeavor. God gave me an awesome husband to walk with down this road. He gave me His Word and Holy Spirit to teach me. He is patiently parenting me as i learn, so i, in turn, should humbly pass on that grace-filled teaching to my sweet boys.

God, help us as parents to be diligent in our dependence on You. You are the only way true and lasting change comes. may You work mightily in us and in our children's lives to make us more like You.




*i'm linking up here. come visit!