“I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” Psalm 32:8

It is amazing how different children, raised in the same home, with the same principals, can all be so different. Our children are each so wonderfully different. From their strengths, to the way they learn, raise their children, and even their lifestyle choices. Some of our children (and their spouses) are educators. Some work in the labor field. We have children who are committed administrative staff and some who are the rock that the rest of the family leans on. Some of our children are gifted musicians, visual artists, performing artists (singers), and some are even authors.

How our children became the beautiful and exceptional people that they are is truly an act of God. Because He knows I did not have the ability to parent them well… at least not until I allowed Him to reign in my life. And even then, I made some pretty atrocious mistakes.

When our children were young, our oldest son struggled. He struggled in school. He struggled at home, especially because his father and I divorced (never God’s plan) and we were both pretty awful parents. Our little guy really had some hard struggles.

Then came God…

Most of you know our story from previous blogs, but after finding a loving, Christ-centered church, our family (one by one) came to give their lives to Christ.

After one of our children was told that they were an imbecile if they believed in an ultimate creator, and another was told that God was a myth, my new husband and I decided that God wanted us to home school. So, we went to the public school to discuss removing our kids. Their response was, “You don’t have the ability to educate your son. He should have been receiving services all along.” Mind you, he was about to be a freshman in high school.

Needless to say, if we doubted whether we should home school before this, we knew at that moment that these people would no longer be educating our children.

Long story short, after being home schooled for several years, our son tested out well above the 50th percentile and today is a published author. And, in my unbiased 😉 opinion, he is an incredible author, who seeks to write as God leads and to reach and minister to young, hurting children just like he was.

But our children aren’t the awesome people that they are because of anything we did. They aren’t incredible musicians, artists, educators, and people because of our example or direction.

Our son is not an author because we home schooled him. He is not an author because it was his lifelong dream. He is an author, and our children are the incredible people that they are, because the most Masterful Author wrote their stories.

At least three times in the scripture, Jesus is called the author. In Acts 3:15, He is called the author of life. In Hebrews 2:10, He is called the Author of salvation. And, in Hebrews 12:2, He is called the Author and Finisher of our faith.

God is the one who formed us in our mother’s womb (“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16) and our days — each and every one — were written in His book.

He will lead us, if we submit to Him. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” Psalm 32:8.

God will speak to us with love and He will teach us if we listen. “Let me hear Your loving devotion in the morning, for I have put my trust in You. Teach me the way I should walk, for to You I lift up my soul.” Psalm 143:8.

He will counsel us, guide us, and receive us to Himself in Heaven if we submit and allow Him to be Lord of our lives. “You guide me with Your counsel, and later receive me in glory.” Psalm 73:24.

And even when we falter or things happen that were not God’s desire for us (remember His desire was perfection in the Garden of Eden), He will turn it to good. “The Lord will turn all things good to those who love Him and are called to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.

He is the author of our lives.

But He didn’t just write us into being. God has a plan for each one of us. AND our children. He has a plan for every single person. But, just as our children don’t always submit to our plans, we don’t always submit to God’s. And there are always consequences for disobedience. Sometimes those consequences are the chaos and disharmony that we create with our own plan.

God’s design is better and He wrote a different story for us. We just have to submit to His will and desire and step into the character He created for us; a character who represents Jesus.

He has already equipped us for living out His story. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10.

The story that the Lord wrote for each of our lives is one that will glorify Him and benefit/bless us AND others. But we have to choose to participate in HIS Story for us, not write our own. Through our relationship with Him, God wants our lives to draw others to Him. “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Father God, forgive us when we write our own story. Forgive us when we become the Editors of the story that you have written for our lives. Help us to recognize that you have written and incredible story for us. Help us to desire to live out that story. Father, thank you. Thank you for the magnitude of your love and forgiveness for us. And thank you that, when we seek you with our whole hearts we will find you!

I pray right now, Father, that every person reading this blog will submit to your authorship over our lives and begin to live out YOUR Story for us. I pray that, through that story, you would be glorified, and others would be drawn to you and rescued from the penalty of their sin. Be glorified Father. We love you and pray this in Jesus precious and holy name, Amen.

If you have never submitted your life to the Lord Jesus and have been trying to rewrite your own story, I pray that you would go to our Life Preserver page right now. It can be found at this link (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/). Please go to this link and pray the prayer that is outlined there. Once you have, reach out to me and let me know. I’d love to be in prayer with and for you.

Luv ya!