Just gave myself a “time out” from my middle child. My adorable, high energy, too smart for his own britches, strong willed child.  As I’m writing this the tears are falling onto my laptop because, well, I just can’t seem to stop them today.

Parenting is the toughest job you’ll ever have. That’s what everyone always says. What they don’t say is that by “toughest” they mean the most exhausting and exhilarating job you’ll ever have.  And usually both at the same time. They don’t say that you’ll learn more about yourself than you ever really cared to. But you will. Because truth be told, one of the things that makes parenting so hard is the ability it has to expose us as parents. The ability to bring to light our own areas of weakness, our own selfish motives, our own bad attitudes.

When I’m disciplining my son for a shortcoming I see in his behavior or character and I sense a check in my spirit that it’s something I still need to work on myself, I become exposed. When we’re working on anger issues with our children and we find ourselves wanting to punch something hard or scream with frustration, we are exposed. When we’re helping our children learn about forgiveness and we are reminded of someone we need to forgive, again, exposed.

And sometimes being exposed ourselves, in the midst of everything else life is throwing at us, feels a bit overwhelming. But we have this promise, this hope.

“God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning! How great your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22

I am so thankful for fresh starts, new beginnings, even if it’s just the beginning of a new day.  Sometimes all we need is just the knowledge that we get to start again “fresh” tomorrow.

Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

I am thankful that I serve a God who can cleanse my heart & set me right again, can renew a right spirit within me. As quickly as I ask, he can answer.

[easyazon-image-link asin=”B001J1O8C0″ alt=”Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1932)” src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51adVjBYGfL.jpg” align=”left” width=”360″ height=”500″]And I have to guess that my kids are probably just as happy about getting “fresh starts” as I am. Because our kids are human too, and so they have their “off” days like the rest of us. The great thing about kids is their ability to bounce back. They can have a really pretty rotten day and then the next morning wake up all sweet and obedient.  And though at times I refer to this as their “Jekyll & Hyde” syndrome, most days I wish I was more like that.  Able to just let go of the past and ready to move on and embrace the future, with nothing weighing me down.  So, as I journey on in my parenting I find that my kids are constantly teaching me something. Funny, because I thought I was the one who was supposed to be teaching them. But I guess the truth is, we’re teaching each other.  It’s a learning process that oscillates between child and parent.

And ultimately, my goal is to give them the tools that I use myself when I am in need of a time out. I want to show them scriptures like the ones mentioned earlier. To explain the promises, the hope, the power we have in Christ. I want them to know, in the very depths of their souls, that God’s love couldn’t have run out on them, that his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. Because he is faithful, and his mercies are new every morning!