I Thought I Was Protecting Her. I'm Still Learning What That Means.

A Rooted in Truth Blog Post — Episode 1

I have spent my entire life standing on the Word.

I raised my children the way I was taught — with structure, with discipline, with clear boundaries and a firm foundation. I didn't leave room for gray areas because I believed gray areas were where children got lost. My job was to protect them. And I took that job seriously.

So when the conversation came up in Episode 1 of Rooted in Truth — when Faith sat across from me and told me she was choosing to teach Joi instead of simply telling her no — I won't pretend it didn't shake something in me.

Because my first instinct was to push back. Hard.

But then I watched them. I watched Faith and Joi talk — really talk — in a way that I'm not sure I ever made space for. And something in me got quiet.

Not because I was wrong to have values. I wasn't. Not because structure and faith don't matter. They do. But because I'm beginning to understand that wisdom without conversation can sometimes feel like a wall instead of a door.

I gave my children direction. I'm not sure I always gave them room to ask why.

That's not easy to admit. At my age, with everything I've built and everything I've believed — sitting with that truth takes something out of you. But it also gives something back. Because healing doesn't have an age limit. Growth doesn't stop when your hair turns gray.

Watching Faith parent Joi the way she does hasn't made me feel like I failed. It's made me want to do better — even now. Even at this stage.

That's what Rooted in Truth means to me. Not that the past was wrong. But that grace is big enough to cover what we didn't know, and love is strong enough to keep us growing anyway.

Watch Episode 1 and ask yourself — is there someone in your life you could create more space for?