The Child Who Rips Out Your Heart (You Know the One)

“I’m so glad God made you my mommy.”

Music to any mother’s ears...right?

Right? 

My 8-year-old uttered these words with a big toothless smile as she jumped off the couch, wrapping me in a hug.

The next morning, those same lips uttered, “I don’t want to be a part of this family anymore.” The toothless smile was nowhere in sight.

This is frustrating. Deflating. Confusing.

This is parenthood.

For months now, our family has been walking through the steps of discipling our 2nd grader as she transitions into a lifelong pursuit of following Christ. There are times I second-guess her decision to give her heart to Jesus when she says the biggest, most hurtful thing her little mind can imagine.

But then I remember that this is our heart’s posture toward our Creator every moment we replace Him on the throne of our hearts with fleeting things like accomplishments, accolades, busyness, image, or bank accounts. We place Christ on the throne of our hearts for a time, and then the stressors sink in. When stress rises, idolatry also rises.

You see, my kiddo was stressed out when she decided to rip my heart out. She was tired, hungry, and attempting to do something she didn’t know how to do. It's not an excuse for unkind words, but it does help guide my responses in these moments. My daughter was attempting to regain some control… the same as we do when we kick Christ out of His rightful place as King in our lives.

As we attempt to parent and disciple our children’s hearts, my prayer for my family and yours is this: May Christ and His gospel be at the center of your home, in both the easy moments and the difficult ones.

“Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.” - Psalms  119:89-90