"Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you may know how I am and what I am doing." Ephesians 6:21 NIV

This picture is of my daughters, Stephanie and Rachel. Stephie is the blond and Rachel is the redhead. They are ten years apart, and absolutely different from each other.

My husband and I stood strong while raising our first two children. A shift came with the next two. I am not happy to say this, just being honest. The shift was leniency to our convictions, and we are reaping the fruit of this.

I am through condemning myself, but moving through prayer to bring about change. God can redeem our mistakes how ever small or big they may be. Raising a teen in a home of  three,  twenty somethings is not easy. Parenting is the hardest thing we have ever done.

I'm sure some of you will agree with us. Knowing how to turn around a situation can be difficult. I'm not saying my kids are doing anything harmful to themselves or others. No, but I am saying God's grace is my constant prayer.

Maybe you are in the this boat with us? Do you want your children to follow in the footsteps of the Lord and love Him with all their hearts? Compromise is a terrible thing, but so is immaturity!

Please excuse my rant. Paul wanted his friends to know he was fine. He was thoughtful enough to realize people cared about him. He had a lot of time to think, pray and write. Maybe if he hadn't been in prison he wouldn't have written what he did, one third of the new testament.

God has a way of making even the worst times into the best times in some way or another. We know it was physically taxing on Paul to be in prison. Perhaps his greatest spiritual growth came about in a prison cell? I don't know, but I wonder.