“I didn’t asked to be born!” shouted my teenage daughter from the bedroom. “It’s not fair. Nobody else has to do this!”

Good thing you didn’t ask to be born today, I thought to myself. Today the answer would be no, not today. “Well tell God, because He thought it was a good idea—at the time,” I replied toward her bedroom. “And your room still has to be cleaned before you go to Tiffany’s house.”

I whispered a prayer. “Father, help me to survive this child, and please make sure she gets caught on everything that tries to divide her from you.”

When my children were born I had wonderful dreams for them, as any mother who is in love with their babies would be!  As they grew, I could see gifts and talents that God had generously placed in them, and I began to encourage them to develop those gifts and talents. As they grew older and became increasingly independent and I watched with joy at times, and cringed at other times, as they made choices that would direct the course of their lives. I loved watching them set healthy goals and go after them, and I was horrified when they made choices that I knew were prerequisites to disaster. Without a doubt these were times, more than any other times in my life, when I grew the most in my prayer life and in knowing God’s word.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 is a verse I frequently quoted to myself. How could I lean on my own understanding?

When I was growing up, I had baby dolls, and an instruction manual came rubber-banded to them. But the more I lived with my own children, these precious earthen vessels, the more I was aware that no instruction manual had been rubber-banded to them. I knew almost immediately that I would need someone bigger and smarter than I was to help parent these children God had given to me. I am so thankful that in His wisdom and mercy He had planned for me to need His help from the very beginning.

I am posting a segment from my book String of Pearls.  This book is written for women who have faced sorrows and disappointments in life and encouraging them that the grain of sand that is cutting into your heart is the beginning of a Pearl if you will give it all to Christ.

So what brings you to your knees?  What causes you to seek the Father?  How can I pray for You?

Linking up with Multitudes on Monday, Graceful, WLWW, Playdates with God

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Diane W. Bailey

Diane W. Bailey is the founder of The Consilium – an online community of wisdom and purpose for women over 45 years of age. She is a published author. Her books include String of Pearls – From Tears to Treasure, and 30 Days To A Better Stepfamily. She creates her own line of precious metals bracelets. Diane lives in the Deep South with her husband Doc. Together they have created a stepfamily, each having two stepchildren and two birth children, and share three grandchildren, one black lab named Charlie and one long haired tabby cat named Lil Girl. Diane’s passion is to encourage women to be all God has created them to be by pressing past fear and daring to live life as an adventure. Some of her life adventures include traveling to Israel, speaking, entrepreneurship and backyard farming with Doc. She loves Gumbo, fried shrimp and seeing all sunsets across water.

Latest posts by Diane W. Bailey (see all)

• What God Can Do with A Shattered Heart - September 5, 2022
• When It Is Time to Bring Your Ship Ashore - January 2, 2018
• Art Of Hospitality – How to Love Others As Ourselves - November 27, 2017

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