The Role of a Mother

Our son Connor is in town right now. Connor is our second born, just three minutes ahead of his little sister Caylee. I don’t write a lot about the kids, but I think I might start offering more. First of all, in personality, Connor my mini-me! He can make you laugh at the drop of a hat, and is never too shy to say hello to a stranger. Connor is the United States Air Force and is stationed in Georgia. He signed up for the AF just out of high school. He graduated in May, signed up in the military, and was in basic training by the following January. He was ready to be a man. This morning as we sat out back visiting, he told me that someone had recently said that he had chosen to grow up fast. Without a doubt, he knows that he did. He is as independent as I was at his age. Hubby and I chose to grow up fast when we married at 19/21 and had a baby two years later, that was tough. Without a doubt in my mind however, it was a lot harder to grow up in the military!

Connor just re-signed for another year. I figured he was going to, but with all that is going on in our world, I wasn’t super excited about it. He hasn’t finished his college degree yet and in the military it looks a bit different so he wants to finish it up before he gets out. I knew he wanted to finish and that he was considering signing another year so I wasn’t surprised but still, not happy. It’s scientifically proven that our brains do not fully develop until somewhere between 24 and 26, the choices we make resemble that of a child. Though he was legally a man at 18, I don’t know that he was prepared to be (are any of us?). Sometimes, like Connor, 18 year-olds have it all figured out (I know Hubby and I did😳😉) and taking advice from parents at that stage isn’t an option. I knew when he chose that path it would be hard but that it would force him to listen and grow where Hubby and I couldn’t get him to. He is super talented and highly gifted, and unfortunately like so many of us, he was also bullied and abused. The enemy can recognize talent and gifting, and Connor chose Jesus early in life so he has been a target since then. He is super hard headed, like his parents, and I didn’t know how to direct him to use that gift to his advantage. I am grateful that the military taught him how to grow into adulthood.

Today, as he and I visited, I am realizing that he is growing into the man I knew he was destined to be. He is hearing Jesus. No, he isn’t a daily Bible reader, yet 😉, as I would like him to be, but he is asking Jesus to guide him and praying for help. He recognizes the gifts of the Spirit that he has and is starting to figure out how to use his gifts (and I wasn’t even there to teach!). I get very excited when I see Jesus moving in my kids’ lives, it thrills the heart of this mother for sure. I pray over him consistently, asking Jesus to surround him with people who love Him and will love and accept Connor right where He has him. I am hearing fruit from those prayers and I am so grateful. I know that God has him and that what his journey has been is exactly where God knew he would be.

I wanted you to know a little about Connor and what God is doing in his life. Our children do not always make the choices that I would have them make, but God has a purpose and plan that I will not understand until the day Jesus returns. I plan to start sharing more of our kids’ stories soon as they have said they would like me to. I want you to know now that the topics I will be addressing are controversial at best, causing a war in our world at worst. My role as a mother is to love my kids. I love our family and I know that we all love Jesus to the degree that we know love. God is always deepening that love in each of us and together, we are family.