THE JOYFUL LIFE
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Blog
    • HEART
      • Faith
      • Bible Study & Theology
      • Marriage
      • Motherhood
        • Motherhood (ALL)
        • Parenting Toddlers to Tweens
        • Parenting Teens
        • Parenting Adult Children
        • Raising Boys
        • Raising Girls
      • Divorce | Single Motherhood | Blended Families
      • Adoption & Foster Care
      • Infertility & Miscarriage
      • Friendship & Community
    • HOME
      • DIY Projects
      • Family & Home Management
      • Fun for Kids
      • Homemaking
      • Homeschool
      • Hospitality
      • Recipes
    • LIFE ISSUES
      • Anxiety
      • Difficult Family Dynamics
      • Emotions
      • Health
      • Identity & Purpose
      • Loss | Suffering | Grief
      • Work & Life Balance
    • REVIEWS
      • App Reviews
      • Book Reviews
      • Product Reviews
    • FEATURED INTERVIEWS
    • SEASONAL & HOLIDAY
  • Daily Devotions
  • About
    • Meet the Team
      • Management & Staff
      • Editorial Team
      • Blog Contributors
      • Devotion Writers
      • Photographers
    • Statement of Faith
  • Work with Us
    • Write for Us
    • Advertise
    • Employment
  • Contact
  • account
The Joyful Life News
Sign up to receive Joyful Life Community news, weekly blog post updates, shop announcements, and more.
A QUARTERLY COLLECTIBLE | Heart & Home Inspiration
THE JOYFUL LIFE
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Blog
    • HEART
      • Faith
      • Bible Study & Theology
      • Marriage
      • Motherhood
        • Motherhood (ALL)
        • Parenting Toddlers to Tweens
        • Parenting Teens
        • Parenting Adult Children
        • Raising Boys
        • Raising Girls
      • Divorce | Single Motherhood | Blended Families
      • Adoption & Foster Care
      • Infertility & Miscarriage
      • Friendship & Community
    • HOME
      • DIY Projects
      • Family & Home Management
      • Fun for Kids
      • Homemaking
      • Homeschool
      • Hospitality
      • Recipes
    • LIFE ISSUES
      • Anxiety
      • Difficult Family Dynamics
      • Emotions
      • Health
      • Identity & Purpose
      • Loss | Suffering | Grief
      • Work & Life Balance
    • REVIEWS
      • App Reviews
      • Book Reviews
      • Product Reviews
    • FEATURED INTERVIEWS
    • SEASONAL & HOLIDAY
  • Daily Devotions
  • About
    • Meet the Team
      • Management & Staff
      • Editorial Team
      • Blog Contributors
      • Devotion Writers
      • Photographers
    • Statement of Faith
  • Work with Us
    • Write for Us
    • Advertise
    • Employment
  • Contact
  • account
0

Letting Love Lead—One Day At a Time

  • Angie Gibbons
  • April 21, 2022
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Do you ever wonder what kind of impact you’re making on your family?

I think some of my insecurity as a parent comes from looking constantly for the fruits of my labor. Where is the evidence I’ve been here? Where are the behavior improvements? Where are the shiny beacons of love and respect?

Over-analyzing my parenting as if it is a math problems to solve has only led to anxiety.

This past week, I had the pleasure of taking my eldest and quietest daughter on a road trip to look at colleges. I found myself wanting to mine the depths of all of our years together, find out what had stuck, what had gone right and wrong. Don’t worry—I resisted the temptation.

Instead, I tried to let her lead conversations as we listened to her music playlist and stopped to take photos. And I remembered in the quiet pauses and the punctuations of laughter that parenting is much more about small moments than big ones.

Our best parenting efforts often feel insignificant, more like tending a small cactus than cultivating a fruit tree. We offer a little encouragement here. A little correction there. It is painfully slow at times.

In 1 Peter 4:8 we are encouraged to “keep loving one other earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” This daily, practical love we offer is how we shepherd them toward a righteous life. As we are intentional and authentic, it is the patient love of God shown through us that will lead them.

It takes time. It may be years later that we get enough distance to see the fingerprints of our love on display in their lives. It may happen not until we are driving them around colleges and don’t really want the distance at all.

Are you doing enough for your kids? Absolutely. Keep loving earnestly and waiting patiently, allowing love to lead, one day at a time.

0
0
0
0
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
Angie Gibbons

Angie’s great passion is to plant seeds of hope for women who feel stuck, disempowered, or fearful—that they really can live freely and at rest. She loves storytelling, speaking for women’s events, and writing for both her blog and popular Christian publications. Angie is a wife and bio/adoptive mom to three girls. You can find her surfing and hiking with her family in Hawaii, and you can read her latest tips on living fearless on Facebook or Instagram.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

VISIT OUR SHOP
  • Issue 10 | CREATE — Digital Version $14.00
  • THE GOOD SHEPHERD | Digital Bible Study $12.00
  • THE GOOD SHEPHERD | Digital Bible Study
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $12.00
Follow Us on Instagram
The Joyful Life News
Sign up to receive Joyful Life Community news, weekly blog post updates, shop announcements, and exclusive offers for our subscribers.

AMAZON AFFILIATE PROGRAM DISCLAIMER | The Joyful Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links. Every purchase you make through our Amazon affiliate links supports our ministry at no additional cost to you.

  • BLOG
  • SHOP
  • WRITE FOR US
  • EMPLOYMENT
  • ADVERTISE
  • Terms
  • ACCOUNT
  • Contact
© 2022 The Joyful Life Co., LLC
Site Design by Maize Agency

Input your search keywords and press Enter.