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This post is adapted from my newest women’s Bible study, Joy: A Study of Philippians.

If you’ve mailed me a letter, I probably still have it. I treasure handwritten words because the writer has something special to say. Maybe the letter is filled with news and updates. Or perhaps it contains humbling words of thanks. Often, it includes encouraging words and tender reminders. Sometimes it contains carefully crafted remarks that challenge or hold me accountable. One of my favorite parts of personal letters is the valediction, the complimentary close, such as “Blessings, my friend,” “With a grateful heart,” or “Yours in Christ.”

This post is adapted from my newest women’s Bible study, Joy: A Study of Philippians.

I watch for the mailman, and I check my email and text messages a little more often than I’d like to admit, in the hopes that a personal note will be there. I get so excited to receive mail that I might even do a joy dance!

A friend of mine was swimsuit shopping with her teenage girl. After her daughter had tried on a trendy new bikini, my friend said, “I’m sorry, honey, but I won’t buy that suit for you.”

My little prince and princess and I had just completed another grocery shopping expedition. (If you’ve ever taken two-and-a-half-year-old twins to the grocery store, then you know what kind of adventure we had.) While they were exploring the wonders of the store, I’d been flustered and impatient as I tried to juggle kids, grocery lists, coupons, and car keys, and failing to remember what it was that I was certain I’d forgotten. After checkout, I plopped down into the driver’s seat of the minivan, collected myself, and peered in the rearview mirror. The twins were strapped in their car seats, contentedly chattering to each other about their favorite weekly outing and sharing in toddler language the exciting things they had seen in the ice cream aisle. All was well. So I backed out of the parking space and took off for home. Still frustrated and distracted with my thoughts, I welcomed the opportunity to just be still during our ride-time.

“Will this parenting thing ever get easier? It just has to get easier!” I cried to a dear mentor and friend when my children were very small. The words came tumbling from my mouth following several sleepless nights, when I wondered if I would ever accomplish more than cleaning up messes, folding laundry, and feeding little mouths. My friend’s tender response was, “Oh, Deb, parenting doesn’t get easier; the difficulty is just different.” She had loved every minute of her children’s youth, but she also recognized the realities and the difficulties that were a part of each age and stage.

“Momma, momma, huwwy! We need to pway!” My toddler ran to me the very moment he heard the siren from a fire truck speeding past our house down the nearby highway. I scooped my little guy into my arms and held him close. Together, we talked to Jesus, asking for help and protection on behalf of the people who may be hurting or in danger.

Your growing children are moldable—in the process of being gently shaped into the people the Lord created them to be—and you are blessed with a primary role in that molding process, with God’s guidance and strength to back you. According to a recent article on WebMD, mothers are the earliest and often most influential role models for growing children. (Yes, your influence can be even greater than that of social media, peers, or teachers.) When you tell your kids in meaningful and specific ways how valuable and special they are, you’ll see them walk with a spring in their step. When you treat them like the treasured sons and daughters of the heavenly Father that they are, you’ll see them glow from the inside out!