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Hello. This is Rachael Carman from rachaelcarman.com, and I wanted to talk to you today about that child because that child is my passion. Before I get on to that, I want to thank you, Lara, for having me on today. I’m so delighted to come and speak to the moms that listen to you so regularly, and I love the theme of your podcast, Cultivating Grace. That is exactly what we need to be about, and that is actually precisely what I am about when it comes to talking about that child.
Immediately, if you have THAT child, you know the child that I’m talking about, the one that makes you want to pull out your hair and run from the building. That is the child what I’m talking about. If you have one, you know you have one. I know that’s true for you; however, some of you may not know you have one yet, and some of you may not have one at all, but whether you have that child or not, I want to you to know that you are not alone as a mom in the everyday challenges and struggles that you face, in the exhaustion, in the mundane, in the rinse and repeat that just seems to go on and on and on.
Moms are my passion, and they’re actually God’s passion. I believe if there is anybody on the planet that the enemy wants to discourage, it’s moms because moms are doing the hard work every day to raise the next generation and to point them to God. I feel that way especially about that child. That child tends to be the kid that we want to write off, the kid that we have the bad attitude against, the kid we hope that no one else can tell that we love them because we’re supposed to, but we don’t like them very much.
Mom, if you are one of those moms, if you’re one of the moms that have THAT child, listen, you’re not alone. You’re not alone.
There are many of us out here who every day are working our best to discipline and train and, yes, love and learn to even like and appreciate that child because that child has been sent to your home on purpose on time by God, and not as some payback, not as some punishment, not as some joke, but literally to bless you, Mom. I want you to know that that child was sent to you by God to bless you.
You may be listening to this and go, “How is that even possible? How can I ever, how could I ever think of that child as a blessing?” I just want to invite you to start considering that and to go to God and say,
“God I would like You to give me the eyes to see that child the way You see that child. Give me the eyes to see this child that is such a blessing, I’m trusting You, God, that this child that You’ve sent to me that is so challenging, I’m trusting You that he, that she is a blessing because that is what Your Word says. Would You show me who they are for Your kingdom? Would You show me who they are for Your glory? Would You give me a glimpse of the plan that You have for that child?”
Mom, I promise you, that is a prayer that will not go answered. When you boldly approach the throne of grace and go to God and admit what He already knows to be true, and that is that you’re struggling to like that child, that you don’t get that child, that you don’t understand that you’re overwhelmed and you’re exhausted and you’re confused and you’ve tried everything you know to try, I’m here to tell you, Mom, that is the beginning of a glorious, glorious, glorious relationship not just with that child, but also with your God.
We are part of a community over at rachaelcarman.com where we are celebrating that child, where we are seeking to love them by daring to discipline them and daring to seek God about who they are, and we are honoring God by trusting that God has a plan for their life.
Mom, I’d love for you to join me over at rachaelcarman.com. I’ve got lots of videos on Facebook live, and I’ve got some posts on what it’s like to be that kid’s mom. I’d love to hear your story as we seek to celebrate raising that child to change the world.
Thanks again, Lara, for having me on. Moms, I look forward to hearing your stories. Have a great day. Bye.
About Rachael
I had it going on—or so I thought. After surviving sixty-three months of pregnancy, countless sleepless nights, and 35,000+ diapers, this one-time control freak encountered God’s grace. And I’m here to encourage you to do the same! I love encouraging and inspiring moms to grow deeper in their walk and relationship with our Heavenly Father.
In my books How Many Times Do I Have to Tell You? and How to Have a HEART for Your Kids, I challenge mothers to surrender their will and draw closer to the Lord. I invite moms to join me in loving God passionately and worshiping Him fully while sweeping up Cheerios, doing laundry, and planning dinner. You will be affirmed in your role as a mother as I speak of my own struggles with perfectionism and impatience and share my challenges, failures, and victories amid the ever-changing seasons of life. My honesty will surprise you, and my humor will put you at ease.
I’ve been married to my beloved, Davis, since 1986; our life has been a roller-coaster ride, with God at the controls. We have seven kids and let me tell you our family loves to laugh! I enjoy playing in the dirt, eating dark chocolate, and walking on the beach. My husband and I own Apologia Educational Ministries, I’m an author and speaker – I am passionate about helping moms not only survive motherhood, but draw near to the Father and thrive in motherhood.
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