September 18, 2010

No Regrets

Our family 1996

Has it really been 20 years since my awesome oldest son Max was born? (Birthday blog coming soon. :) How quickly those precious years have passed. I ran across this blog post I wrote three years ago when Haley turned 20 http://kayla-worshippingwarrior.blogspot.com/2007/10/view-from-riverbank.html. I know in 5 years I’ll face this again with the twins. It never gets easier. But I want to say this to all of you young parents out there. It is WORTH it! THEY are worth it!

I married Keith at 18 and got pregnant with Haley before I completed college. So I never got my degree. But I don’t regret it! I didn’t join the corporate world and have a successful career like some of my friends. But I don’t regret it! I’ve not achieved fame or fortune or done anything very glamorous, dangerous or scandalous. But I don’t regret it!

I’m not going to say I haven’t sometimes had moments of frustration or feeling bad about myself when compared to the world’s view of success. I remember when the kids were small sometimes wondering-- "what about me God? What about my dreams?" I spent a lot of time wishing I was in the future and I didn't fully appreciate those precious present moments. But NOW I know, as insignificant as I sometimes felt, that no accomplishment, no reward, nothing compares to the opportunity I’ve had to BE THERE and to pour into my children. Nothing! Today they bless me more than I could ever have imagined when they were little and I was so very tired.

I ran across this poem someone else wrote and I want to share it…

A hundred years from now,
it will not matter what my Bank Account was,
the sort of house I lived in,
or the kind of car I drove,
but the world may be different
because I was important
in the life of a child.

My kids are getting older and I am beginning to transition out of this season I've been in for so long. Its not easy. But now I see that this has been a very important (probably the MOST important) part of my destiny. And at this juncture of the journey, I am so humbled and thankful to have been chosen for such an honored calling in the Lord’s eyes as the Mother of these four precious children God has given me.

When we reach heaven, I do believe there’s going to be some surprises in store at who the Lord honors. I believe that many of the earth’s and the church’s big names will have to take a lower seat to the little mothers who honored God in the hidden place of their home, with their children, in the simple things they did for them. The sleepless nights rocking a sick child, the innumerable diapers changed, meals cooked, stories read, the time spent with the least of these… these things, I believe, will be honored in heaven far above the fame, fortune and accomplishments that were praised and honored here on earth.

Nope. I don’t regret it ONE bit.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

you pretty much summed up what i want my life to be like; a momma and a wife. and yea i think a lot of grannies are gonna be recognized before the big shots on the other side lol
-lauren w

Anonymous said...

Amen to that! You have done a great job! Silver and gold, fame and prestige cant even hold a candle to the blessings you mentioned.

Anonymous said...

I choked up reading this. What greater calling to raise Godly children. Your a good Momma. Im so blessed to have you n Daddy as my parents. I hope I can be as great of a parent to my children. Love you very much.

- Max :)

Anonymous said...

You done good, kayla! Love you, friend. Stacey