Awesomeness

This post took an interesting turn as I sat down to write it. I am in the catching up phase, and it was going to be a nice little narrative on a trip to the aquarium we took two weeks ago. But as I put the pictures up first, something struck me.

Profoundly.

I've had this nagging unsettled feeling in my soul for a few days now-and seeing these pictures crystalized the sorrow in my soul. These pictures helped me put into words the struggle I have been living with recently.I looked at these seemingly innocuous photos and realized that my kids are awesome. A truth and reality I allowed others to take away from me. 

I can get caught up in comparing my kids and my family to a "typical family." Especially at holiday times (which for some reason we believe will fix all that is wrong with our families instead of highlighting any underlying dysfunction!)  

I can let a glowing "how great this Thanksgiving break was" post on Facebook make me feel bad about how dysregulated my kids are during unstructured times.

I can allow how others see my family and my kids to make me feel bad.

OR

I can choose to see the awesomeness in my kids and my life. 

I can see them as warriors who have survived things no child should endure.

I can see them as growing in Jesus as they grow in the world.

I can see them as curious and smart and loving and simply awesome. Not perfect and still learning and making mistakes and struggling with stuff. But still awesome.

Sometimes it's hard to see their awesomeness when my view is colored by others view. Especially when those people are people I love and care about. Whom I invite into my home and my life and they fail to appreciate the awesomeness of these kids. Who see only the surface and not the soul.

But God.

When I use God's eyes to see my kids - I see how fearfully and wonderfully created they are. By the Father in Heaven who loves and cherishes them more than I ever could. That same Father who loves and cherishes me. I can chose to allow His love for me to flow through me to them, healing them but also filling my soul. 

I will chose to see the awesomeness in my children. I will not let others steal my joy about my kids or my life. I will be their biggest cheerleader, comforter, teacher, and defender. Because they deserve that because they are awesome.