Welcome to Camp Funk

continued....

to upstream parents

It’s ok.

Take a deep breath and remember parenting is hard.  Especially when you're doing it right.

 You might feel guilty in your decisions and bad for your kids because your choices might alienate them at times.

But sometimes loving our kids requires grit.

And sometimes it means we have to be mean. 

One of the great things about parenting is we have the gift of hindsight and the wisdom of foresight. We can learn from our mistakes and hopefully help our kids avoid some. We can also look ahead and parent with wisdom and maturity our kids don’t possess yet. They won’t always understand our choices, acknowledge our wisdom and appreciate our difficult decisions. And that’s okay. We decided a long time ago to lead our families with intention. Not everyone will understand every leg of the journey-including our kids.

But stay the course. When the waters get turbulent–and they will–keep your eyes on Jesus. 

And keep going. 

Keep loving and serving your family and keep focusing on who we are raising our kids to be. They will notice your dependence on Him.

And it may not be today, but if you lead your family upstream, at some point, your kids will begin to feel its effects.

And when they do, these words are for them:

to our upstream children

Hey. I know this is hard. I know there are days you want to be like everyone else and just kind of blend in. Sometimes it’s hard being that kid.  Nobody wants to feel weird or left out.

I know you want to be normal and fit in, but I’m going to be honest, it’s not really possible. Because when you choose to walk with God, you choose to become like Him and that desire makes you act in a way the the world doesn’t always understand. It makes you different.

And it means the journey won’t be easy. It’s actually really hard and I see that. I see you trying and struggling.

God sees you.

I also see things you can’t see yet…who you’re becoming and how you’re growing into a strong and resilient world changer.

And even though I don’t understand what you’re going through, I want you to know I’m here.

You’re not facing this alone.

I know it hurts. I know you might be mad at me. I know we fight about it, but that’s ok. I can handle it. I’m not going anywhere. I know you need to push back against something that won’t give up or in.

I can’t be with you every moment of the day (this will really bum your teens out), but there is someone who can be. God loves you more than I do. He’s not going anywhere and he loves that you aren’t like everyone else.

Please remember I love you and I’m sorry you’re struggling.

 I know this journey can be hard, but it’s worth it.