BRAVE

My children are the bravest people I know.

Of course, none of them are actually children any more. And while I suppose there may be braver people in the world, there are none braver within my circle of intimate acquaintance. By their brave example, my children encourage me to be brave, too.

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When my passel of kids were all very young and I was feeling overwhelmed, I asked a wise older friend, "Does this mom thing ever get any easier?"

Her answer: "Yes, it will get easier...at least physically. You won't always be as exhausted and physically stressed as you are right now. But as your children get older, you will be stressed in different ways. Your body will not be so tired as it is right now, but your heart and your soul will be stretched beyond anything you can imagine."

One of the most difficult things I have ever had to do was give my children the freedom to fail in hugely significant ways. I'm not talking burn-your-hand-on-a-hot-coal or back-the-truck-into-a-fence-post kind of ways, although those were difficult for this mama, too. I'm talking break-your-heart and break-your-body and scar-your-soul kinds of ways. Not refereed tae kwon do sparring on the blue mats at the gym, but no-holds-barred and no end-of-match bell in the fight-cage of life.

This mama gig is hard, people. It's downright terrifying sometimes. I get that - I really do. It knocks you to your knees. As my youngest put it to me recently, "There's nothing like having a bunch of kids to invigorate your prayer life!" Amen, little sister!

Ask any of my kids, "What is your mom's 'Big Three?'" - and they will tell you, "God is sovereign. God is good. And He loves me very much." The Big Three - I believe them, in my head and in my heart, all the way into my very core. YES, I believe that God is sovereign, He is good, and He loves me very much - I really do!

But believing that for myself and believing it where my children are concerned: those are two entirely different things.

In my 53 years, God has taken me to some terrible places, dark places, painful places, scary places, and He has said to me, over and over, "Do you still trust me, Camille? Do you trust me even here?" And in every place God has taken me, He has proved himself trustworthy.

No, I don't particularly want to go back to any of those hard places, but I would not trade the deep soul assurance and peace God worked in me in those places for anything in the world, certainly not for a life of ease or a life free from pain.

But my children, Lord?!

Do you still trust me, Camille? Can you trust me even with your children, even here?

So, to my friend whose beautiful, young (and, yes, vulnerable) daughter is moving halfway across the country (as my own daughter, at a very tender age, headed halfway around the world - God, be merciful to me and to my child! Please, go with her" Stay close!), I want to encourage you: your daughter is stronger than you think. But more important, God is with her, and He is stronger than we can imagine.

Yes, your sweet daughter may get battered, even broken, in the brave living out of her life. But even in the scary broken places, remember (because it's just as true for your daughter as it is for you, dear friend!): God is sovereign, He is good, and his love for your daughter...well, let me put it this way...your love is a drop in the ocean compared to his love for her.

You can trust Him.

And to my friend who is struggling to loosen her protective grasp on her adult son, fearful to give up control of his life - But I know the temptations he will face! What if he falls into gross sin? What if he ruins his finances? What if abandons the faith his father and I have diligently labored to teach him? You don't know the dangers he may face?! The risks are too high...I cannot afford to let him fail! -

Dear friend, your beautiful son is already a man. Give him the freedom to stand or to fall as a man. Yes, he may fall - indeed, he probably will fall. I know the thought of terrifying consequences frightens you - I have sons of my own, and I have known this great fear, too

But I want to encourage you, friend: it is at that place of fiery trial, not under the sheltering protection of your motherly care, that this faith will become his own. It is there that your son will meet God "face to face." It is there that your son will see for himself that God is sovereign, God is good, and He loves his children very much. Would you "protect" your son from that?

You can trust God with your son.

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My children are the bravest people I know. By their lives, they are teaching me to be brave, too - not only for my own sake, but for them, also.

Earlier this week, one of my daughter's posted this on FB: "I want this to be my theme song." Tasha Cobbs, "Break Every Chain." I LOVE IT. Take a few minutes to listen - you'll be blessed.

My theme song for this season of life? "Brave," Sara Bareilles. Turn on the music and dance with me!

("There's nothing like having a bunch of kids to invigorate your prayer life!" Dear sisters, I love you, and I am praying for you and for your children. Mamas, let us be brave. Let us be encouraged: we pray to a God who is sovereign, who is good, and who loves our children very much!)