joy

True joy.

My heart overflows with delight when I hear Wubs say, "Bella, you go first. It will be my turn next." Not long ago, Emma Grace wouldn't have been so gracious to her little sister. It has taken many lessons, but now, Wubs often puts others before herself, without any prompting. 

My smile is beaming when I watch Bella write her name. If she makes a mistake, she doesn't wad up her paper in anger anymore; she uses the eraser and tries again. This hasn't come easy; Bella gets frustrated when she doesn't get it right the first time. But after much practice, our  youngest daughter understands the importance of trying her best, with a happy heart.

My eyes fill with happy tears when I see JJ attempt his first steps. Those wobbly little legs are precious! Even though he still prefers crawling, he is willing to try to walk and he laughs as we cheer and celebrate his efforts!

 It brings me immeasurable joy to watch our children grow in their understanding of Jesus and what it means to love others as Jesus loves us, to witness our children prevail over a temptation that had previously caused them to stumble, to observe their efforts to push themselves past their own comfortable abilities. 

There are days that I feel like I have failed at mothering our children: I've blown it again, I've repeated the same lessons over and over (and over), I cannot see any fruit, any progress. But then the Lord opens my eyes to His work, the work He is doing within our children and I'm reminded that God is in complete control. In God's great plan, He is allowming me to join Him in discipling and training our precious children and I'm no longer discouraged. Suddenly I can see their growth and once again, my heart leaps with joy for all He has done. My joy is so deep; I am reminded that it could only come from the Lord!

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."- Galatians 6:9