The heart of a parent

We have completed our foster parenting classes this week and it has given me something to think about. The director of our agency Ross Wright, wrote a book called, "Kids in Crisis." This book talks about how to parent wounded kids and how to restore relationship with them as so many are unable to trust and bond. Ross has said many times throughout our class to never "sacrifice relationship on the alter of accountability," and it is a whole new way of thinking for me. While I believe in spanking, you are not allowed to spank foster kids for obvious reasons and I'm starting to rethink the whole spanking issue altogether. One of the goals of parenting is to have the kids value our relationship with them in a way that they wouldn't want to go against our rules/wishes. It's similar to our relationship with Christ, in the beginning of our walk with the Lord, we follow the rules because we don't want to get in trouble, but at some point it shifts to following God's rules because we don't want to break His heart or disappoint. This is a whole new way of thinking for me and I find that I'm a rule person when it comes to parenting, so I'm sure this will be a difficult challenge for me. This class has also helped me see some of  my flaws in the way I have viewed Christ; I now understand why I've thought of Him at times as a cosmic cop waiting to crack down on me when I break a rule. That is SO far from who God is or what He is all about, I'm starting to see that when I step outside of His will for me, He isn't waiting to punish me, instead it saddens Him. I have a feeling this whole parenting thing is going to force me to grow in ways I had never imagined. One thing I know for certain, growth isn't comfortable but so worth the pain in the end!

What we believe......

I've debated whether or not to share some of our views on my blog and after a lot of prayer, I'm simply going to put it out there. Mark and I believe our country will be facing some VERY HARD days ahead. Therefore, we believe it's very important to prepare for what is coming and to tell others so they too can prepare. I have to say that we are living in uncomfortable times as we brace for what we believe is coming, we don't enjoy thinking about these things. However, I believe it's important to be informed with as much information as you can, pray about it all, and see what God would have you do with that information. Check out the following site for unbiased actual news of what is happening around us www.theblaze.com, then check out the following video on what you can do to become prepared not only for yourself, but for those around you. http://www.glennbeck.com/2011/10/13/tonight-a-show-you-cannot-miss-solutions/

I'm sure some people will think Mark and I are crazy or that we are fear mongers, but we stand behind what we believe and only time will tell. If anyone wants more information on how to prepare for coming disaster, feel free to contact me and I'll share all the info Mark and I have been investigating. Would you rather be completely taken off guard or have uncomfortable knowledge and do your best to be prepared?

Tempting

Mark and I are in the process of filling out all the paper work that goes with the foster parent process. There is a TON of it and at times it can be very intrusive....as it should be. I talked with Mark about whether or not I should disclose everything to my past, it is VERY tempting to leave parts out. I know that some of God's greatest work comes from my past but I've been battling some of the lies that if I disclose everything, our agency will consider us too risky to work with. So to be honest, I came to the conclusion that I'll only disclose everything if asked about it because I'm not going to lie. Well, wouldn't you know it, the paper work we fill out asks about everything under the sun, they are very thorough! I know there will be a lot of questions and discussions because of some of my answers, but I'm going to trust that this is where God is leading us. At times, I still battle some of those old lies of being "damaged" because of different things in my past. I'm sure everyone deals with this on some level too. As much as I hate my list sometimes, it's what has contributed to who I am today and so I can't run from it. In many ways I can see God's fingerprints all over my "damaged"areas, I can see His healing, kindness, and loving ways. It's a bit nerve wracking and yet it's quite a relief to just put it all out there, no hiding. Mark and I feel like we are jumping off the cliff most days in this journey, it's something our cancer journey has prepared us for in many ways. The biggest difference between the two is that at that time, I felt thrown off the cliff, this time we are purposely jumping. Either way, God has always been there to catch us, guide and comfort us, so I know we are in good hands.