Life is messy and imperfect, isn’t it? If you know me, you know my family is certainly not perfect. Depression and divorce have darkened our doorstep. Custody battles and family dissension have caused alienation. We are broken and bruised. We are far from perfect!

Truly knowing people often means knowing their mess. My children and my grandchildren know me. They know my weaknesses and they know how to push my buttons. They see me at my worst and laugh at my shortcomings. But there is one thing they would all tell you—they know I recognize my need for a Savior. I have found that in the midst of brokenness, hope and redemption come through upholding God’s truth and always pointing the next generation to the strong foundation of His Word. It’s okay to be honest and real with them; I let them know I am broken and because I am, I follow after a God who is not.

I try to constantly point my grandchildren to our perfect God— my hope is that they will come to know Him at an early age and follow Him every day of their lives. One way I encourage their relationship with God is by praying with them. We pray for everything you can think of. We talk about God listening to our prayers, knowing us, and understanding the desires of our hearts. I explain that God not only knows us, but prayer is one way we can know Him too.

A couple of weeks ago my eight-year-old granddaughter pulled me into the seclusion of her closet. She wanted to share something special with me about her little brother, Jax. She began to whisper, “Mimi, last night Jax came into my room. He thought I was asleep. He kissed me on the cheek and started praying for me and thanked God that I was his sister.” I was honestly at a loss for words. This may have been the most precious thing I have ever heard.

In the midst of all the crazy that happens in our home everyday—the imperfect situation of parenting these children with my son—my six-year-old grandson knew he could go to a perfect God and thank Him for giving him his big sister. He knows God well enough to understand that He is the giver of all good gifts and that thanking Him matters.

No, I am not perfect—but what I want you to know is, I follow a God who is. And knowing Him is the redemptive hope for the mess in each of our lives!