Session 2: Pouring with Purpose

“What’s been the hardest age for you to parent us through?” my 27-year-old, step daughter asked. I didn’t hesitate: “Right now!”

We both laughed, but my heart knew the weight behind my answer. Parenting can’t be summed up with Proverbs 22:6 :“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” 

Though helpful, it doesn’t tell us what happens when they do depart: When your daughter tells you she no longer believes in God? When your son tells you he’s a girl trapped in a boy's body? When all your seed-sowing feels like it’s landed on hardened ground?

But the anxiety I felt for my children began to ease when God asked me in prayer: “How did I meet you in your mess?” Whew, child! I had my own moments of rebellion, even after I became a Christ-follower. I twisted scripture to justify my own selfishness. I was even blatantly deceptive. 

But in the middle of my mess, God met me with truth and grace. He invited me closer, instead of pushing me away. In the same way I’m called to exhibit God’s compassion and love my children with humility, honesty and faithful prayer. 

Even now, I see glimpses of God’s word taking root in my children. I see it when a child shares what they’re reading in scripture or asks me to pray. Even when their questions challenge my faith. 

In reality, Proverbs 22:6 doesn’t promise instant results. The Word is seed (Luke 8:11), and seed doesn’t sprout according to human timelines. Like resilient wildflowers pushing through unforgiving rock, sometimes the Word has to push through rebellion—even heartbreak. But it pushes through, and is the last thing standing. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8).