Momming is teaching me so much about Jesus. I think that all of my life I've thought that being a shepherd meant hanging out with the sheep while they wandered wherever they wanted to and protecting them if something bad came along. As Annie grows up, I'm realizing that shepherding does mean protecting her but also means guiding her along the right path, nudging her away from what's not best for her so that she can learn to do what is best for her long-term, watching her become herself but putting boundaries around her in order to protect her and help her become the best version of herself. And a moment ago I realized that that's what God does for us. Yes, we have free will, but we're supposed to stay within his boundaries. However, just like Annabelle can circumvent the boundaries that we have up for her, we can too; but doing so for any of us is dangerous. It is not because the parent's love doesn't reach that far. Clearly God's ...