Doing the best we can

I have spent so much time in the last few days thinking/praying/meditating on the tragedy of the Chapman family. I have a friend that attended the memorial service over the weekend. (Emily is not up to show me how to link you to my friend's blog.) This evening, after reading my friend's blog and listening to Steven Curtis Chapman sing a beautiful song he had written for a friend that had expectantly lost a child and watching news clips and video tributes to his daughter I was struck by the huge responsibility we have as parents. The Chapman's have to grieve under a microscope - the world waiting for them to fail; waiting for them to blame Christ; waiting for them to blame each other. How often do we wait for others to fail? Maybe not intentionally but how often do we question or judge or turn our noses up at things that are different. I do not mean wrong - I mean different. This past weekend, Ryan and I went to the Homeschool convention. This was our 9th year going - out of homeschooling ten years. I have to be vain a minute and confess that I agonize (usually even buy a new outfit) over what I am going to wear. I don't want to look too old, too young, too conservative, too liberal, etc. I don't want to fit the homeschool mom "model." Yet, that is who I am. I watched what seemed like zillions of people buy curriculum after curriculum. I went to conference after conference listening to topics like mentoring my daughter, raising world leaders, how to disciple/structure my family. And even though the mechanics of how we do things differ; we all (the vast majority) have the same goal in mind; We all want the very best for our children. I cannot imagine that there is a single parent; whether they wear jean dresses, only dresses, bonnets on their heads - whether they use Bob Jones, Sonlight, or Tapestry - that doesn't want their child to succeed. We want our children to succeed to be the very best God designed them to be. I want my children to grow up and first love the Lord my God with all their heart, soul and mind; second, I want them to love life and all it encompasses - the good and the bad. I want to encourage others around me to not take the things of this life for granted; to not get caught up in comparing our selves to others, to lift others up when they fall, to be a true friend, to be transparent so that others may see our weaknesses, to laugh with one another, to give one another true praise, to know that we are not alone on this journey.