We went to our first high school football game last night as a family, all seven of us. It was homecoming for our local team, and I thought it would be a good experience for our kids. It brought back a lot of memories, watching the game, the cheerleaders, the band, the flag corps. I don’t think I’ve been to a high school football game since … the late 80s. It’s not a bad way to spend a Friday night, seeing live entertainment!

As I watched all the high school teens parading back and forth, talking on cell phones, hanging out with their friends, I found myself starting to worry about my own kids. Am I ready to parent high schoolers? It’s coming — our oldest is in the 8th grade now.

My thoughts began to jumble into a chaos of anxiety. How can a parent raise godly teens in today’s culture? It was then that I noticed the words on the back of a t-shirt from a lady sitting in front of us. Her black t-shirt was emblazoned with this verse in white letters:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

The word HOPE was written in all caps. Thank you, Lord. I felt encouraged by God’s presence, enough to come out of my cave of blogging silence, to pass this verse along to you parents. We’re not raising our children alone, pioneering through a godless culture. God is with us, preparing the way for us.

Terry Whalin recently posted about Max Lucado’s new book, Fearless, which sounds like something I need to read. I hope you can hop over and read Terry’s post, Which Emotion Drives Your Decisions.

Since it may be a while before I blog again, I also want to pass along a link to another great post. Mary DeMuth has stated so eloquently a decision I made a couple of years ago to put my family ahead of my own “career” aspirations. She words it, Time to edit my life before it’s too crazy late.

I thank God for mom writers like Mary, who can put my own heart on a page!