Psalm 32

“E ven though it’s been over 30 years ago, I’ll never forget the week when I saw God in the most tender and pleasant light, I believe I’ve ever seen him in in my life. My second daughter, Courtney, must have been in second or third grade and came home in tears over a math test that she was having difficulty with in school. Apparently, the teacher had insisted that each student had to complete 30 math problems in a minute or two, in order to go on to the next level in math. The hands of the timer moved too swiftly for her young mind to capture the answers. I recalled all the times I had struggled in school with testing and came to Courtney’s side with as much daddy love as I could give her. She let me sit next to her on her bed and go over the problems again, and again, and again, so she could roll them off her tongue in a breath.

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“For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead. Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart is appalled within me” (Psalm 143:3-4).

Psalm 143

Brad Edgar is a dear friend who was engaged to the woman he thought he’d spend the rest of his life with. But I discovered in counseling them that her heart was in other places. The ensuing breakup was utterly painful for Brad. He literally fell apart emotionally. He lost his appetite, lost too much weight, and lost his mental rationale. His life was a wreck. In the middle of the painful wilderness, he went to the edge of a cliff to take his life.

But when he got there, he was so weak from his sufferings that he collapsed on the precipice. He literally passed out. And Jesus met him there. Together they walked away from the cliff, hand in hand, side by side. That summer I introduced him to another amazing young lady. She was and is to this day the woman of his dreams. They raised amazing children together. They do ministry together. They’ll raise grandkids together. They’ll be in love until the day they die.

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Some moments happen even if you didn’t plan for them, but many more moments and memories can be created with a little more intentionality and consistency. Here are 44 ideas I put together as a resource for our Heart of Mom Gathering events.

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as we parent, there are many things we want to hold tight to and not let go of when it comes to raising our kids. It’s easy to get caught up in caring for our children by always helping and holding on, but sometimes what our kids need is a chance to try and fail and feel some freedom. What are the things that are safe to let go? What are the thing you shouldn’t let go of as a parent? Here are 48 ideas for “letting go” and 12 things you should never let go. I put these together as a resource for our Heart of Mom Gathering events and want to share them with you here as well.

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