P31 To Be

During my morning work out I noticed a father riding his bike with his toddler son in tow. I thought it was very sweet that they were spending quality time together and he was demonstrating the importance of taking care of his body. As I continued to walk behind them the smell of cigarette smoke filled the air. The father was smoking. Me being a former smoker I was not quick to pass judgement on him. Instead God pressed upon my heart to think about what mixed messages I may be sending my child.

Nothing is more important to me that I raise my daughter to be a Proverbs 31 woman. In a nutshell this type of woman is one who loves the Lord, is patient, humble, cares for her family, and honors her husband. Though I have shown increased patience I still have some ways to go with truly honoring the men in my life.

As I navigate this winding road of co-parenting God has recently opened my eyes to the fact that I am not setting the best example for my little girl. My father raised me to be an independent, take charge type of lady. I will never forget his words to me upon learning I was pregnant. He said, "That's why you have a good education. You can take care of yourself." Given my natural tendency to want to be in control I took his words to heart.

Fast forward eight years I find myself being rather difficult to co-parent with.  If  Sienna's father doesn't do something to my liking there's an issue and I make no bones about it. As much as I try to shield her from our parental disagreements, it doesn't always work. I find myself showing her the exact opposite of honoring the future man in her life as well as her father. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that this is not good.

I'm so thankful for God's grace. He truly corrects those He loves (Proverbs 3:12). Once again my attention has been called to a blind spot in my life. This is another lesson in learning that I don't have to rise to every presumed challenge. Should a situation warrant addressing I need to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) and trust God to be my enforcer.