Love More

I love this child with all my heart. Everyday she walks out that door to go to school, I feel like she's walking away with my heart. Her struggles feel like mine. And I ache to help her be the kind of woman I know she has the potential of becoming. She has so many strengths. So many talents. But right now we are struggling tremendously. Our personalities are very similar, and then again, very different. She is very independent and strong willed. If she detects you pushing her in the slightest, she will push back with all her might and dig her heels in. Since I'm the one home all the time, she is in constant conflict with me over getting ready for school, doing her homework, practicing the piano, being nice to her siblings, and so on and so forth. The more I tell her to hurry along, the slower she gets, and the meaner her looks get as she walks by me. I feel like I've tried so very hard to be nice. I've read countless material about how to motivate her. I've made charts and come up with rewards that SHE picked and yet we are still back to ground zero. So last week, I resorted to prayer. I prayed like crazy, even in the shower that she would have the desire to be a good kid. I even talked to the teacher about ways to help her. But in the end, the only thing I keep going back to is to LOVE MORE!

I'm going to love that child into obedience. I'm going to love her regardless of how she performs at school. I'm going to leave nice notes in her lunch box. I'm going to remind her how much I love her as she jumps out of the car to go to school. I'm going to make her bed while she's at school to serve her. I'm going to make her favorite dinners. I'm going to love that child until she comes around. I can't change her, or make her like me, but I can soften her heart. I can show her that regardless of what she does, I'm going to love her because of who she is and what she can become.