When my daughter was in elementary school, she received an assignment to complete a brainstorming list of topics to write about. She had many blanks spaces and complained that she did not know what to write down. As we drove down the street, she announced she had no any ideas for the opinion category. I laughed. For those who personally know my daughter and me, opinions are not lacking in our household.

I began to remind her of the pediatrician who told me at 4 weeks old, that she was clearly opinionated. God wired her with opinions. She freely vocalized them. But at that moment, she could not think of one. That was until a motorcyclist raced past us.

“Mom! Look at that guy on the motorcycle. He is going so fast and he is not wearing a helmet. And he has flip flops on. That is stupid!” she said.

“I think you just found a topic to write down.” I replied.

Yes, we all have opinions. Some people offer theirs to the world more freely, others keep them quiet. Some opinions carry great weight, others ponder trivial matters. But we all have opinions. Before I became a mother, I had all sorts of opinions on parenting. Do you ever notice we seem to be experts in what we have never experienced? Hmmm

Now that my daughter is entering high school this fall, the reality of my inexperience in raising a high schooler is ever before me. I have few opinions on how to correctly parent at this stage, but find my focus more on the short four years I have left to speak into her life before she ventures off to college.

Some days I find myself teaching my daughter opinions and beliefs about every situation we encounter throughout the day, almost like a person on their last breath wanting to get everything out that they never did earlier. She often reminds me that I have already told her. I smile. Repetition is not always bad … 

I am not trying to be overly dramatic, but I do find such incredible importance in making sure as parents we teach our children adequate tools to live productive and fulfilling lives. We cannot assume they will pick up our beliefs and values by osmosis, or that when they become adults they will somehow magically know what to do.

As parents, our teaching opportunities are actually brief in the grand scheme of the lives of our children. It is just a reminder that what we instill in our children, truly matters.

Last evening I went to a bookstore coffee shop and stood at the counter to order my coffee. No workers were around so I stood waiting … and waiting. I looked for a bell to ring for service. There was none. My mind wandered to all I could accomplish if someone was at the counter and I was already seated. I waited longer and then smiled–once again my impatience reared its ugly head.

Our world has become so fast paced that standing in line for a few minutes with no one around to serve us seems like an eternity.

Our technology today does not help. Rather than wait for a letter to arrive in the mail, we routinely check email for the quick response. Rather than wait for the scheduled time slot to watch a movie, we search On-Demand and watch whatever we want whenever we want. And that does not even compare to the instant options available to us when it comes to cell phones today. All these gadgets can make us an impatient society bothered by having to wait for anything.

Now, I have to admit I like On-Demand and the quick responses of email but I find that it is hard not to carry the right-now mentality into the rest of my life. Such as:

          Why cannot our children obey instantly?

          Why cannot dogs be instantly trained?

          Instant answers to prayers would be nice.

Unfortunately, life does not work that way. I find the gotta-have-it-right-now attitude rubs against the fabric of how life works and creates a few holes.

At times I am unknowingly edgy when my daughter needs teaching in an area rather than instantly knowing what she should do. I am unnecessarily frustrated at our dog that cannot learn to heel on the first or second walk. And I wonder where God is when I think He has missed a few opportunities to answer my prayers.

I find I need a constant post-it note on my forehead reminding me that much of the best of life comes in the waiting, the discovering, the unearthing, and yes most importantly … the journey.

When I remember this, I find such incredible treasures along the way–my daughter takes flight once she has the tools taught to her that she needs, I learn to rest in the sovereign plan of God knowing that He is in control and I do not have to be. And our dog … well, she is in process and an exercise of my patience at every evening walk. She will catch on soon enough.

What treasure will you discover today?

To watch my daughter clean her room is synonymous with watching someone overflow with excitement about life. However, she hates to clean her room. I share her aversion to cleaning, but taught her early on how to push through the undesirable tasks — crank up the music!

Music has a way of offering a different focus as you do the unlikable.

As she picks up items off the floor singing away, she stops briefly when the beat hits just right so she can burst into a musical dance break. She grabs an invisible microphone as she watches herself dance in the mirror. As the music flows through the house, I cannot help but bounce, tap, and sway where I am at as well. It is infectious.

I guess it all goes back to where we put our focus. What would happen if we robbed our dislikes of their misery and just turned up the music, let loose, and danced? If you have a teen, the dancing may need to be isolated to your home so no embarrassment is inflicted upon them … or perhaps that is just how my daughter feels. 🙂