Dear kids, you're not gonna like this (but I'm ok with that)

Dear kids,

I love you two more than you can imagine—more than my own life or happiness. I love you with a forever love. A fierce love. A protective love. A love which is stronger than my desire to make you happy every second of the day.

Don’t get me wrong, I want you to be happy. I really do. That’s why when your dad and I want artichoke chicken for dinner, I will gladly make you a pizza. And why when you were little I had sippy cups in every color of the rainbow, because heaven forbid you wanted a red one and all I had was blue! I love making you happy. I love seeing you smile at something I’ve done for you.

But….your happiness is not my main concern.

Go ahead and breathe, I know that’s hard to hear.

And don’t worry, I still want you to be happy. But the truth is my main concern is your heart.

My main job as your parent is to help you grown into a kind, caring adult who contributes good to society. And for our family your dad and my main goal as your parents is to lead you to Jesus and pray you will find your joy, contentment, peace and strength in Him. For He is all that will truly satisfy.

You are growing up in a loud and chaotic culture. You are being bombarded with images promising fame, riches, happiness and satisfaction. Your mind is being engaged every second of the day with screens offering escape and engagement. Every moment is packed with noise and images. Your brain is inundated with stimuli.

It seems good on the surface right? I mean, you hate boredom. You loathe quiet. And why wouldn’t you? It feels unfamiliar. Wrong even.

And yet…..

Silence, quiet and boredom are the fertile soil from which springs creativity, growth and progress.

Your minds are precious gifts—filled with limitless possibilities, gifted to you by your Creator. But those possibilities depend on one vital thing—silence.

For only in silence will you hear Your Creator whisper the combination needed to unlock the possibilities He’s placed within your mind.

Only in silence will you hear the voice of the One who created you with the talents, attributes and gifts which make you you! Only in the silence will you clearly hear the voice of the only One who can give you true joy, contentment and peace.

Don’t be afraid of the silence, even if it feels weird or uncomfortable.

You will need to retrain your mind to accept silence and boredom.

But do it sweet ones. Please! It is a skill and a discipline (I know there’s another word that makes you cringe) but silence is a skill and a discipline which will create in you invaluable things such as wisdom, compassion, discernment and joy. Those are things I cannot give you. I can show them to you, model them, pray them over you, but they are traits which must be grown inside of you, grown from the seeds of silence and boredom.

This world is just going to get louder. Opinions, advertisements, and voices will continue to come at you like a blizzard—whiting out everything else. It is going to be vital for you to make time to ponder and process all you hear. To be still and think before you speak. To allow yourself space to form your own opinion. All of this will require quiet.

Silence—a way of life just a few decades ago—is now a skill which must be practiced.

You must train your body to allow for silence, just as you would train your fingers to play guitar or your body for a marathon. But I promise, as your mama who loves you with a fierce and protective love, it will be worth it!!

And because I love you so much that I’m ok with you not being happy every second of the day, this summer we are going to practice embracing the sound of silence (cue the theme song!). We are going to devote one day a week to being screen free. One day a week to turning off the noise and listening.

Listening to nature.

Listening to each other.

Listening to our own thoughts.

And listening for the voice of God.