Her Heart

One thing that is important to me is ensuring that my children have a firm foundation in Jesus. I grew up in a home that was centered on Christ. My best friends weren’t in high school, they were in youth group. If I wasn’t home, it was very likely I was at church either volunteering for some ministry or participating in one.

Don’t misunderstand, I had moments growing up where I questioned what I believed and eventually made my faith my own. However, without the foundation my home provided, I’m not sure where I would be today.

Not only are church and the ministries there important to us, so is having Christ present in everything we do. I see the struggles D and E face through school, I hear about all the ways they take Christ out of school and having Zoe go to a Christian school was paramount to both N and me. We’d love for D & E to go to one too, but at this point there are many hurdles to cross before that can happen.

I don’t believe that going to a Christian school will eliminate any struggles she will face. There will always be mean girls, peer pressure and all the things kids face today. What I love is that they put their foundation in the same Jesus we do. I hear about all the pressures of the world and I’m unsure how children face things without Jesus. Actually I’m unsure how anyone can face life’s struggles without Jesus.

Already, at age 4, she’s facing some of those pressures. There are cliques in preschool. There are already mean girls. At almost every class one of these girls seeks Zoe out to tell her that she’s no t that girl’s friend. My girl wears her heart on her sleeve. These things hurt her and they certainly hurt this mamma too. I will never understand mean girls. I will never understand ceasing a friendship for no reason. I’ve been on the receiving end and it’s a wound that really never goes away.

Here’s where I see how awesome my Zoe is. She is hurt by their words and she tells me about it. Then she finds another friend to play with or she makes a new friend. All is forgotten because she continues to love with her whole heart. She continues because that’s who she is. She doesn’t let the mean girls stop her.

At night, she prays for her friends. All of them. Even the ones that tell her they aren’t her friend. Because she continues to care and continues to love. In that moment, I see Jesus in her. I know the foundation she has will carry her through life, even with the mean girls. As I hold her close, I pray for her heart. Not only is Jesus working in her, but He’s using her in my life as well.