This is Noel.
Growing up in an independent fundamentalist Baptist church had shaped her view of the world and of God. Much of her life, she was afraid her Creator was simply waiting to strike her down for breaking the rules. Noel knew only the bleak nature of a God who had delivered judgment on His people for their sins and washed the world away for their iniquities.
Over the course of the last year, Noel has started grappling with a different story, a story where Noel was made “very good.” She began to see that God is excitedly waiting to see her flourish and celebrating her every accomplishment—not waiting for an excuse to punish her. She has discovered new facets of God, from His patient side to His comforting side, walking with her in failure and even in the mundane.
Today Noel is building up her relationship with God in a new way, and she looks forward to using these tools to set her children’s lives on a different path. She has a fresh opportunity to parent her children the way God patiently loves and trains her up in His ways.
