The most difficult lesson for me to learn as a homeschooling mother was to allow my baby birds to fly. Every natural instinct in me wanted to shelter them from struggles, heartaches, ridicule...the world.
But the Lord showed me that suffering produces perseverance. It's not pleasant, but it's good.
Joyce Herzog shares a few paragraphs in her book, Learning In Spite of Labels, under the topic of "Love 'Em and Shove 'Em." Many years ago, God took these short paragraphs and began to teach me how important it was to:
1. Love and nurture (in the Lord)
2. Prepare and mentor (in the Lord)
3. Gently, but firmly, push them out of the nest
As a mom, the pushing part is heart wrenching! But if I've done step one and step two, I must resist the urge to fly out after them to protect them from danger or to entice them back into the comfort of home. They must learn to step off and soar, trusting God along the way.
Grateful for grace,
©2008 Y.M.F.
Photo courtesy of Wild Bird Watching
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