Defining Life

Last week I was sitting across from my nail tech (check her out, @nailzbynisey) and I was on the phone with a friend. She was telling my about her son who is acting out. And the week before, I sat in that same chair listening to my cousin who was having trouble with her teenage daughter who had been acting out. Nisey looked at me and said, “So are you the child whisperer?” I laughed. Apparently, there’s some truth to her words. After thinking about it, I’ve been having several conversations about children and their relationship with their parents. Specifically, with their mothers. Here’s why. Several years ago, a couple weeks before my 23 rd birthday, my mother and I got into the biggest fight of my life. Mind you, I was always a pretty quiet and respectful child. I did whatever my mother asked and when she asked. Then I got grown. Or at least I thought I was. I had a car, a car note, a pretty decent job for someone my age and I didn’t have a single bill to pay. Yet, I have NO

           I attended one of the most amazing bible colleges money could pay for. I have a very expensive degree in biblical education that I only use to debate with my friends who also attended bible college and for my personal studies. Every now and then I feel the bible geek in me creep into random conversations and most are stunned. Like the day a close friend of mine texted saying she heard an elderly woman say, “God don’t bless mess.” It was a group chat and everyone laughed. I mean, it was funny. But then I went on a rant…             “I really despise sayings like that. That’s not even biblically sound because I mean, who isn’t a mess. And who are you to tell me that God won’t bless me because I am broken. This is why people don’t go to church or trust in the Lord. Because of dumb sayings like that. I am a mess and somehow I keep waking up with breath in my lungs. That’s a blessing.”             Well, these are not the friends that attended bible college with me so t