Parenting through the Middle School Years

I'm enjoying parenting the middle school years more than any other stage before it, and here's why. Instead of constantly setting boundaries because "I said so", I now get to have meaningful conversations with my daughter in which I ask her guided questions to help her figure out the whys for herself. Instead of teaching her about God, I get to cheer her on as she gets to know the Lord for herself. Instead of merely planting seeds, I get to water them and watch them grow. Or, she may water me and help me to grow instead. Yes, there is plenty of girl drama, but I love watching her learn about relationships, forgiveness, and the value of being a true friend who builds others up compared to fake friends who walk over others in pursuit of fleeting, empty popularity. She is learning through tears to guard her heart against hurtful words while replacing those words with God's truth. As middle school girls try to "find themselves" or "exalt themselves", she hopes to exalt Christ instead.

As we were discussing our identity in Christ, she gave me a copy of an article entitled "Women, Trade Self-Worth for Awe and Wonder" which her Bible study group examined. It's so on point that I searched for it online and shared the link below with the hope that it might help other women who are either searching for significance themselves or helping other women find it. I never imagined that my challenging, strong-willed child would become my favorite Bible study partner before her 13th birthday!

 

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the article by Jen Wilkin:

"Our primary problem as Christian women is not that we lack self-worth, not that we lack a sense of significance or purpose. It’s that we lack awe."

"Don’t tell me who I am until you have caused me to gaze in awe at “I Am.”

"Awe helps us worry less about self-worth by turning our eyes first toward God, then toward others. It also helps establish our self-worth in the best possible way: we understand both our insignificance within creation and our significance to our Creator. But just like a child on an iPad at the foot of an 800-year-old redwood, we can miss majesty when it is right in front of us."

"The fear of the Lord is linked to contentment (Proverbs 15:16; 19:23), to confidence (Proverbs 14:26), to blessing (Proverbs 28:14), to spiritual safety (Proverbs 29:25), and to praise and adoration (Psalm 22:23). It is no wonder, then, that the much-referenced Proverbs 31 woman is called praiseworthy because she fears the Lord."