“Mom, I am tired of being made fun of for taking a stand.”

​If I had a dollar for every time I have had this conversation with my kids, I would have a small fortune. The pressure to be like the crowd, or to not make waves can be a heavy burden for tweens and teens. Helping them navigate the feeling of loneliness and fear of man has always been a challenge for this momma’s heart.

It is hard to watch your children struggle, or even be left out. In the long run, choosing to be different for God’s glory, will bring peace and joy. It is just hard to see through the immediate circumstance. 

Just a few weeks ago, I found myself in this conversation with my fourteen year old daughter. She had made a media choice that was not one we approved of. 

Eleven children? You have eleven children?

If I had a dollar for every time someone responds with shock and awe and a certain amount of you are a crazy person in their facial expression, I would easily be a millionaire.

But, of course that is not a reality, and I am no millionaire. Often this question will follow behind the first, How do you afford your family? The answer I always give is, We don’t, God funds it.

Through the course of our almost 25 years of marriage, my husband and I have seen God provide on countless occasions, in various ways, and with impeccable timing. Each provision has also been accompanied with a greater amount of trust and faith. Those nick of time answers to our prayers allow for our next steps of obedience to become steady and confident. ​

​Being a teacher has always granted me the summertime to take a break from the hectic schedule of teaching, sports and school calendars. Our family has enjoyed this time in many different ways. When I was a stay-at-home mom, I would plan unique, free activities for each week of the summer. We would pick a special Bible program to use in family devotions or put in place an incentive plan, complete with rewards, for reading and personal devotions. Such treasured memories have been made during these times.
 
This summer, as I prayed about what we should do with these precious few weeks, the Lord led me in a different direction. Instead of planning actives and trying to fill our days, God challenged my heart to look for the purpose behind each activity we would plan or do. 

As a wife and mom of eleven, the word details seems to haunt me in my sleep.

• What size shoe does this one wear?
• Who has a project due this month?
• Where is their next game?
• Do we still have toothpaste and toilet paper?
• What is for supper?

The list that is continually running in my mind resembles the ending credits to a movie playing at fast forward speed.

The last two weeks, my Bible reading has placed me in the final chapters of Exodus. The construction of God’s Tabernacle consisted of details upon details. Words like height, width, staves, rings, and colors, paint for us a very vivid and exact description of the place where God’s presence was to dwell. 

One of our little ones had a birthday recently. She had her eyes set on the date since before Christmas. Her expectations were ballooning with each passing day. Detail after detail was being put into place in her mind. I tried my best to say things liked, “You can’t always get everything you want,” and “Your day will be special even if __________ doesn’t happen”. It would be obvious soon enough that she hadn’t heard my counsel.

The big day came and everything went according to her plan, for about 30 minutes. Her presents greeted her on the kitchen table. She was given her favorite doughnuts for breakfast. Her wardrobe matched her approval. All was right with the world. Then it happened. As I am brushing her hair and putting her favorite headband in it, she informed me that someone has to pick her up in the carline for early dismissal. 

I have always been a t-shirt and jeans type of girl. Rarely​,​ if ever​,​ do I wear a pair of heels. (We do not have enough health insurance to handle the risk!!) Loving the comfortable defines who I am. Getting my nails done or spending precious minutes on my hair and makeup is low on the priority list. Extra minutes of sleep or more time to sip my coffee is where I invest.

Although this is who I am​,​ I work alongside, fellowship with, and have dear friends who are just the opposite. Never a hair gone astray or a nail left unpolished. They discuss name brands and scroll Pinterest for the latest fashion tips. 

​As I sit and listen to their discussions I am placed right in the middle of that age old game. You know the one I am talking about. I have participated in it more often than I would care to admit.

​As I stood in the kitchen hovering over my Insta Pot, I had no idea what the next few minutes would hold. Much like a popular crime show, I have listed the events in chronological order to paint the scene. I have chosen to leave out names to protect the guilty. To help with the proper amount of drama, it would be helpful to imagine each event with that ominous and dark sound effect.

​5:07 – A call comes in from my husband saying the car won’t start.

5:09 – I am the recipient of an eye roll and huge sigh from a teen who doesn’t want to clean the living room.

​5:10 – Another teen, who is currently struggling in every class with the exception of weight training, insists there is nothing they could possibly study.