The COURAGE of the CROSS

“Mommy, please come with me, I’m not very brave.”  It’s a line I’ve come to expect from my youngest son in the middle of the night: a child-like explanation for why he needs an escort to the dark bathroom at the end of the hall.


I’ll certainly clock more hours of sleep once Joshua grows brave, but for now, our 3A.M. potty trips remind me to sow the seeds of courage when I can. I may not see sprouts for years to come, but I am certain that in the fertile soil of my children’s souls. courage is taking root as their faith is taking shape. I don’t believe courage is a sudden absence of fear. I think, instead, it is a deep-rooted confidence in the presence of Christ. If I want kids who are courageous tomorrow, then I must focus on growing kids who are intimately connected to Jesus today.

Parenting books are filled with ways to raise self-confident children, but I want to raise Christ-confident children. I want to grow children who “borrow bravery” from the One who staggered up Calvary’s hill in their place on a Good Friday long ago. I want to raise children who cling to the nail-scarred hand of their Savior and refuse to let go. I won’t always be there in the middle of the night to protect my kids from darkness, but Christ’s light “shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:5).  And that makes Him the perfect escort for a trip down the hallway of life!

Today’s Treasure:  The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. 
                                                      -Psalm 18:29