How can we love like Jesus if we are direct and call the kettle black? This is what I have been learning from the girl that God created for me to raise to Know Him and Love Him. It amazes me the way God has created us all so differently and if we are obedient, we will see His Faithfulness. Obedience has little to do with knowing anything. But in fact, it has everything to do with Trusting The One you are created to obey. We are to Listen and Learn. By His Grace, He makes this possible.

 “We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me.” Colossians 1:28-29

Teaching Olivia God’s principals and The Transforming Grace that makes this possible are two things that I have received and nourished for myself in order to flood our home through my words and actions. But nothing more than that. I have to Trust that in that, God will reveal the rest and raise up His children accordingly. Bring it back around to the gospel. Jesus Christ. Always.

So I want to share a story that to me is profound because God recently took a hard situation that my daughter was going through and He redeemed it.

After 6 years of homeschooling, this year Olivia is attending a new school for 8th grade. Many new experiences, most good and then there are those that are not. And she knows the difference and makes no excuses for them. She recently was receiving texts from someone she had respect for (atleast she thought), but it was a girl pretending to be the other person. Olivia had discernment that this wasn’t who she thought it was. I was baffled that anyone would have the time or energy to pursue lying like that. After 3 weeks of praying and asking who it may be, God brought the deception to Light. Through all the texts after finding out, Olivia stayed mature, walking carefully with discipline and self control even when the texts became contentious, mocking and hate speech. My daughter decided she wanted to bring the situation to the principal. She wasn’t going out of emotion or wanting to be right (this girl was never her friend or her enemy); God In her, impressed me that she went In Love, for the purposes of reconciling this person back to God and to protect any other recipients that she may lie to in the future. She ended up apologizing to Olivia. Whether her heart was in the right place is not known, nor is it the reason for this post. What happened next is why I am so overjoyed to watch my daughter Olivia handle this situation with grace. There was another girl involved, at least in knowing what was happening and this girl happened to be ‘friends’ with Olivia. Olivia was sad but instead of letting that sadness turn to anger she directly, calmly and boldly let her ‘friend’ know that she lied and therefore, can’t trust her anymore. The friend apologized immediately to say with humility “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you, I know it got out of hand and I didn’t know what to do. Please forgive me, I am sorry and I really love you as a friend and I don’t want to lose my friendship with you.” This is the greatest blessing – The Spirit of Humility rising up in another person when you call a spade a spade and then point them to Jesus. Olivia’s response was “Thank you, I really appreciate your humility.” A very rare exchange but it can happen only by God’s Grace through Jesus. Precious Olivia, thank you for walking In The Spirit, Letting His Fruit flow from you. And I praise God for the friend, having humility, she was able to reconcile to God, therefore to each other. The Pot calling the Kettle Black is very important, but if the recipient lacks The Humility of Christ, sadly there is no reconciliation. Keep speaking out Olivia, walking in obedience with discipline and self control. The Way is Jesus and His Way is Love. Loving people back to God, whether they receive that Grace or not is up to God. Olivia, I Love watching you grow in the Grace and Knowledge of The Lord Jesus Christ.

God Bless you my Lady.

Love, your mom.