Generation NeXt Parenting

Something Worth Remembering...

For years, I had a memory problem.

As a young mom my problem was self-induced.

You see, I was doing well in life. I was married to a great guy, was involved in a good church, had surrounded myself with faithful friends, and was even fulfilling my dream of seeing my words in print. It seemed only natural to want to forget my teen years. To pretend they never happened. To blank out that time period when . . . (I was trying to forget, remember?)

Though I didn't speak of those days past, I really didn't forget. How could I when I had a son as a reminder of my teenage pregnancy? He was something beautiful that came out of pretty tough times.

But there was Someone else who didn't forget. God was there during the dark times. He was there when I dropped out of regular high school so I didn't have to see my old boyfriend with his new girlfriend. He was there when I felt my life was over, when I just wanted to stay in bed and sleep all day. He was also there when, at six-month's pregnant, I wrapped my arms around my expanding stomach and asked Jesus to "please fix my screwed up life."

Of course, there were others who found out about my pregnancy despite my silence. Like my pastor for example. As my birthday neared one year I could see his mind calculating . . . If Tricia's turning 25 and Cory is 8. Well, that would make her 17?!

Once my pastor knew I felt he and God were in the business of encouraging me to stop faking my memory problem. The two teamed up, you see-Pastor Dan and God-and both prodded me to help those facing the same struggles I once did. The result was Hope Pregnancy Center (http://www.hopepregnancycenter.org/). I was one of the three founders of this amazing ministry. After that I started working with teen moms through a program called Teen MOPS (www.mops.org/teen).

But God wasn't finished with me yet, and He gave me the idea for a parenting book for young moms facing the same struggles I once went through. And Life Interrupted: The Scoop on Being a Young Moms was born.You can find more info about the book on my website (www.triciagoyer.com).

The goal of the book is to provide encouragement to young moms and remind them, "You can do it. You matter!" While you're on my website, also be sure to check out the photos of my husband and kids. Pretty amazing, aren't they?

Finally, I'd like to leave you with one last thought. It's something I read from my daily Bible Reading this morning.

Psalms 78:4 says, "We will not hide these truths . . . but will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the LORD. We will tell of his power and the mighty miracles he did."

You see, when it comes to our changed hearts, God is more into remembering than forgetting. He wants us to remember how He helped us. He wants us to tell of the power and the miracles He did in our lives. And guess what? You're part of that next generation I'm shouting it out to! God transformed my life from a beaten-down, teary-eyed teen to someone who can write cool books for Him. That's something worth remembering!

Labels: hope pregnancy center, mops, teen mops, teen pregnancy

posted by Tricia Goyer @ 8:02 AM