Sweet Sixteen
“Thank you God for always loving us.
Thank you God for always protecting us.
Thank you God for always being with me.
In Jesus, precious name, Amen. ”
My Sweet Scottie,
When I listen to you pray at night, I am reminded of what a sweet perspective you have of God. You inspire me to want to come to Him with the same always belief. Full of confidence. Not wavering. Never questioning. I am not sure when I made the unconscious decision that you may never make a personal decision to follow Jesus. Somehow the thought was that you would just have a different spiritual journey than Jake, Emma Grace, or Zoey. With you, we continued to pray, go to church, and talk about Jesus through conversations and reading the Bible. But recently something began to stir in my heart…
At the beginning of this year, we chose a word for ourselves but also for you. I knew that the word that I wanted for you was faith. My deepest desire is that you have a faith experience because, why not? A few months have gone by since choosing that word. I realized that perhaps your faith decision won’t be a singular decision. For you, faith is a way of life. You live every day believing the things you pray for at night. You don’t ask God to protect you or be with you in just one moment. You pray with a statement that He is ALWAYS with you, protecting you, and loving you. Instead of focusing on how to grow your faith, I am going to strive to cultivate a faith like yours. Your spiritual journey is different than ours, but different in this case is sweet, beautiful, and so pure.
As you turn 16 in a few short days, I give thanks to a God who uses your life (and your faith) to model to all who you encounter what it is to love God unconditionally and how it feels to be loved unconditionally. You have taught us all so much in 16 years, and here are just the top 16:
Really look at and see the little things in our world because the details are important, entertaining, and beautiful.
If you don’t want to be hugged, touched, or kissed, use your voice and tell people no.
Speak the truth because people enjoy knowing exactly what you think. It’s refreshing.
When you are irritated, show it, deal with it, then move on.
When you don’t like people chewing gum or wearing socks and it makes you physically want to run, it is ok to let them know.
Tell people that you love them and that they are your favorite.
Say the funny things that pop into your head, especially if it keeps the ones you love the most on their toes.
If you find comfort in order and want to control the environment, it is important that you don’t demand the same thing from others because they don’t enjoy it.
Never underestimate someone who seems different than you.
When you have a gut feeling that someone needs to be checked in on, you should say something and check on them.
Food should be savored.
Just because you experience something different, doesn’t mean that you aren’t experiencing it. And different isn’t wrong, it’s just different.
Sibling relationships are the best!
Feeling safe and secure in your home and in your family is invaluable.
One person can have the most amazing impact on your life.
Believe that God will always be with us, love us, and protect us.
Thank you Scottie for loving us so freely and openly. Thank you for making us better human beings. May you always find your safe place with your family. We adore you, our sweet girl.
Happy Sweet Sixteen!
Love you forever and ever.
Mom
