Daily BITUB- “Our Children”

“Our Children”

A room not cleaned. Clothes all over the floor. Desks covered with fast food wrappers. Still can’t fill the dishwasher… I’ll miss it one day… (Sort of. ) But our son 6am work schedule on fall break. A daughter chasing her dream and working as much as she can. We are blessed. One of the most humbling things about going through adversity is watching your children become stronger right in front of your eyes. As parents, we spend so much of our lives trying to protect our kids. We want to shield them from fear. We want to carry the heavy stuff so they don’t have to. We want them to always believe that Mom and Pop have everything under control. But then life comes through the door without asking permission. Fear becomes real. The people who have always been the strong ones suddenly have moments when they aren’t so strong. And that’s when something incredible happens.

Our kids step up.

I’ve watched my son and daughter show strength, compassion, maturity, and love during difficult moments that I wish they never had to experience. They may not always know exactly what to say. They may be scared themselves. They may have questions they don’t even know how to ask. But they show up. They check on us. They encourage us. They make us laugh when we desperately need it. They remind us that we are a family… and families carry one another. As a dad, there’s something emotional about realizing that the children you spent your life trying to hold up are now reaching out their hands to help hold you up. You realize they were watching all those years. They were watching how you handled disappointment. How you treated people. How you prayed when things were difficult. How you got back up after life knocked you down. And now, when adversity has touched our family, I’m watching those lessons come back through them. I couldn’t be more proud. Not because they aren’t afraid. But because they have shown me that courage isn’t the absence of fear… it’s choosing to love, serve, pray, and show up even when fear is standing right beside you. Maybe one of the greatest blessings of being a parent is eventually getting to see the strength you tried to pour into your children become the very strength they pour back into you.

To my son and daughter: We see you. We see how you’ve stepped up. We see your strength. We see your hearts. And I hope you know how incredibly proud we are to be your Mom and Pop. 

We didn’t choose this season. But we will walk through it the way we have always walked through life… Together. With love. With faith. And with God leading the way. 

Believe In The Unbelievable that is YOU and my prayer for you today is from  Joshua 1:9. 

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 

Have a great day ahead everyone. 

Little Boy, Big Dreams LLC

Purposeful Pathways 

DC

Daily BITUB- “The Calm in the Storm”

“The Calm in the Storm”

We’ve probably all heard the saying the calm before the storm. I laugh at that often wondering… can we get some calm over here. Then it happens. God says here let me give you moments of clarity, truth, and reality in your storm by helping others navigate theirs. Then it hit me when I recently have had opportunities to be of service to others.There is something incredibly beautiful about serving others when you’re in the middle of your own storm. I’ve learned that you don’t have to have everything figured out to be a blessing to someone else. I knew that, but sometimes (more lately) I forget it. You don’t have to wait until the skies clear, the pain disappears, or life gets easier before you reach out your hand. Sometimes, the greatest blessing comes when you’re hurting yourself…and God still gives you the opportunity to help someone else.The calm in the storm. 

There have been days when my heart has been heavy, when my family and I have been navigating our own uncertainty, and when I could have easily turned inward and focused only on what we were facing. But then God puts someone in my path who needs a word of encouragement, a helping hand, a prayer, a smile, or simply someone willing to listen.

And something amazing happens.

For a moment, I stop thinking about my storm and start thinking about theirs. And somehow, in serving them, God begins ministering to me. That’s the part I never want to forget. Serving others isn’t just about what we give. Sometimes it’s about what God gives back to us through the experience. The reminder that we still have purpose, we still have something to offer, and even in difficult seasons, He can still use us.

What a blessing it is to realize that even while you’re praying for your own miracle, you can still be part of someone else’s.

Maybe that’s one of the greatest lessons of the storm:

You don’t have to wait for the rain to stop to become someone else’s umbrella.

Keep serving. Keep loving. Keep giving.Keep trusting. Because sometimes the blessing we’re looking for isn’t waiting on the other side of the storm. Sometimes…the blessing is found in who God allows us to become while walking through it.

Believe In The Unbelievable that is YOU and my prayer for you today is from 1 Peter 4:10.

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” 

Have a great week ahead everyone. 

Little Boy, Big Dreams LLC

Purposeful Pathways 

DC