I have teenagers…enough said

I think I can say I have teenagers and everyone who has them or has had them will simply shake their head in understanding. No need to explain, just a shared understanding. This week was the first week of school in a new school and driving for the first time. It was the perfect storm of breaking routines and my girls like their routines. Overnight they went from sleeping in their own beds to being guest in a home, from sleeping until midday or early afternoon to rising before the sun, from mindless days to intense learning days, and if that were not enough, they get to wake up the next day and do it all over again. I get it, it’s a lot. Multiple times this week I had to be the “mediator” as Helena likes to call me. I had to remind them that how we look at things, how we approach things is our choice. We can seek to bring everyone into misery and make them suffer as we see ourselves suffering or we can recognize we are all going through this and lift up each other. We can lead with criticism and frustration or we can lead with love (LWL). “ A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35, NIV). God is very clear in His command for us-”love one another”.