My Brave Story- Lindy Sharon — In the Wild+Wonder

The woman I'm about to introduce you to, I couldn't be more thankful for. She's a mother to five young boys and her and her husband, Trent, are ranchers out on the plains of southeastern Colorado. Lindy is my husband's second cousin and she just happens to be the one that led him to Jesus. At 13 years old, Kody attended a Rodeo Bible Camp out where Lindy grew up. She asked him one day, "Hey, do you think you'll go to heaven when you die?" Kody replied that, yes, he thought he would because he was a good guy. Lindy shared with him that only believing in Jesus and what He did on the cross would get him into heaven. This moment changed my husband's life and 3 years later when we started dating it would change my life as well.

So many moments can pass by and you can lose your chance to ask someone that question. Lindy as a young teenager was bold and obedient enough to put her Savior in front of someone who needed Him. Knowing Lindy, this was not out of her comfort zone but was a way of life for her. I'm honored to call her my family and a friend.

This story I'm about to share from Lindy isn't exactly like most of the Brave Stories that we post on her, but as a mother, it really speaks to my heart. We are given our children to teach and bring up in wisdom. But sometimes, or even a lot of times, we as parents, are the ones that get taught and molded by our children. Here's Lindy's Brave Story.

Candace

"Do you have any conflict in your life? Do you experience moments of extreme conflict toward someone you otherwise love? Are there people who simply push your buttons more than others? Do certain things drive you crazy on a daily basis? ... Why does it seem that people, things, and situations are in the way? Why do we seldom go through a day without some experience of conflict? The answer to all these questions is that we think of our lives as our own, and we are more committed to the purposes of our own kingdom than we are God's. We need to recognize that the people in our way have been sent to us by a wise and sovereign King. He never gets the wrong address and always chooses just the right moment to expose our hearts and realign them to His." Paul Tripp from Brad Bigneys book Gospel Treason I read this and instead of the white page with black words I saw instead, the name of my third born son, "STOCKTON" stamped across the page!!

His daddy says he is just like me...and I have to agree as I curl up in the fetal position and want to just die when I look at his behavior and his heart and at the way he....MAKES me feel....and act. He was such a sweet baby. I couldn't even walk through the grocery store without at least three ladies literally taking him out of the cart; "He wants me to hold him!" as he flashed every lady in sight those sparkling clear blue eyes, batted his little lashes and his whole face broke out in a dimpled handsome ornery grin. Those were the glory days...and then the unthinkable happened...he opened his mouth and began to speak. I had already considered myself a professional mother to his respectful, considerate, and caring big brothers who immediately joined the adult forces of the world when they mastered our language. Oh, but Stockton. I looked around me and thought, "WHO has RUINED this child's sheltered bubble saturated in a Biblical worldview? WHO has crept in and tainted the pureness of our little delicate family?!" But then I looked internally and realized that Stockton is not the SOURCE of my frustration. He REVEALS the idols of my heart. The precious idols of MY kingdom that are raised up against the kingdom of God. MY sweet control. The treasured tranquility of MY home. This handsome, out of this world loud, no filter, independent, miniature version of John Wayne with an attitude had rocked MY agenda.

“ This handsome, out of this world loud, no filter, independent, miniature version of John Wayne with an attitude had rocked MY agenda.”

Now that he has just reached his 6th birthday, I am realizing that something has got to change for him to live until his 7th. I have facilitated between positive speaking about him to deny we really have an issue, to calling every sister in my phone book asking for prayer. We have fought like brother and sister...usually before he gets all the way down the stairs in the morning. There is rarely a day I don't feel stress and anxiety begin to boil in my blood over his impulsive decisions...unless he is spending the weekend at grandma's house (which is actually quite often because my mom or Trent's dad will call and say, "Send me Stock for a few days please before you kill him".) The beauty of this entire situation is that Stockton has made me realize GOD DOES LOVE ME! He loves me enough to send me this...agh, dare I say..small version of....me. To realign my heart to His. To expose my precious yet ugly idols that I love more than the Lord my God. On a positive note: Kindergarten has happened. I am so thankful that God has lead us down the path of homeschooling because Kindergarten has given us a couple hours every day that we act normal. No seriously, Stockton and I both love to learn and teaching him has been the greatest joy of his little life. I am so thankful God chose me as his teacher...still working on being thankful to be his mother....ha! No really. The more idols I clear out because he reveals them- the more privileged I am to have him around...around...that is... tripping over, kicking, and swinging over my precious idols of tranquility, control, and peace.