Revolution or Revelation?

Parenting Through an Identity Crisis

“Freedom had been hunted round the globe;
reason was considered as rebellion;
And the slavery of fear had made men afraid to think.
But such is the irresistible nature of truth,
That all it asks, and all it wants,
Is the liberty of appearing.”
— Thomas Paine, The Rights of Man

Does every generation really need a revolution?

In 1787, Thomas Jefferson wrote to William Stephens Smith about rebellion, revolution, and the Constitution. He famously stated that “the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time…” It was a bold reflection on civil disobedience and the nature of freedom.

Fast forward to today.

We are living in a generation where rebellion is rising, free thinking is applauded, and truth is debated at every turn. Voices are loud. Opinions are strong. Authority is questioned. Control is resisted.

So the question becomes:

Are we on the verge of a revolution… or a revelation?

And what do we do when the revolution is happening inside our own homes?

When Your Independent Thinker Doesn’t Think Like You

We raised our children to have a voice.
To think critically.
To be courageous.

But what happens when that independence challenges your faith, your convictions, your worldview?

Generation after generation, children push against their parents’ beliefs. If you’re honest, didn’t you? Didn’t you once think you knew better? Didn’t you question what you were taught?

What was the turning point for you?

When did humility settle in?
When did rebellion soften?
When did you turn to Jesus for yourself?

There was grace on your life.

And that same grace is on your child.

If you feel like your child is slipping through your fingers, God is asking you to trust Him. If fear is gripping you and your faith feels thin, lean in — not away.

This is not the hour to become “woke.”
This is the hour to be awakened.

There is a difference.

We are living in a turbulent time where identity is being targeted at every age. Identity has become the cultural buzzword of our generation. But when the identity crisis isn’t happening to you — it’s happening to your child — the pressure feels different.

You may feel them drifting from a biblical worldview into the shifting truths of a transitioning society. But Christ transcends time and culture. He is not intimidated by the moment your family is living in.

If your child feels far from the mold you once provided, trust that the Father has a mold of His own.

The Potter and the Clay: What About Me?

Before God ever dealt with my children, He dealt with me.

In November 2022, I was attending a weekly women’s gathering studying the book of Revelation. During worship, I had a powerful vision.

The Father said,
“I am the Potter, and you are my clay.”

He led me to kneel on the ground and curl into a tight ball, forehead pressed to the floor. I felt His hands surrounding me. He told me to try to move — but to remain curled.

I couldn’t.

“I feel stuck,” I cried in my spirit. “I’m not free.”

And then the Father spoke:

“I created you to be movable. I formed you. Sin broke you into fragments. When you were reborn, I lovingly put you back together. But I didn’t remake you to be rigid. I remade you to be pliable.”

Then I felt pressure. On every side. It was uncomfortable.

“This is so uncomfortable,” I whispered.

“So move,” He said. “I am holding you.”

Timidly, I shifted. Then more boldly. The more I moved, the more room He gave me. I began reaching into the ground in the vision, pulling up hidden things and releasing them into the air.

And the Father kept saying:

“Keep moving. I am holding you. You are free to move.”

Then He said something that pierced me:

“I know you want freedom. But the freedom you seek is found only in Me.”

He reminded me that I was His masterpiece — recreated, not just repaired.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus…” — Ephesians 2:10

The vision wasn’t just for me.

It’s for you.

You cannot shepherd your child into freedom if you are still resisting the Potter’s hands yourself.

From Womb to Wings

From the moment of conception, God places divine design into a child. A mother carries what God created. Even the placenta resembles a tree — often called the “tree of life.” Every child is birthed from God’s garden.

Even Jesus was.

He was born of a mother and raised by earthly parents. There came a day when He shifted from listening primarily to earthly authority to fully walking in alignment with His heavenly Father.

There will come a day — or perhaps it has already come — when your child will no longer listen to you as their primary voice.

That transition can feel like loss.

You want them to move seamlessly from your mold to the Father’s mold. But sometimes it doesn’t look seamless. Sometimes it looks like struggle.

And struggle is strengthening.

The Nest Was Never the Destination

I once watched a video of baby birds hatching. It can take days for them to break free. The mother bird does not crack the shell for them. If she did, their wings would not be strong enough to survive.

What feels like struggle is often strengthening.

As parents, one of the hardest things we endure is watching our children suffer. We know they won’t be immune to pain, heartbreak, sickness, or loss. Jesus promised trials — but He also promised victory.

I have known deep grief. Miscarriages. The loss of siblings. The devastating loss of my father.

But I have also known indescribable joy — holding my babies for the first time. Watching them grow. Watching them launch.

Both of my children stayed in our “nest” for 18 years. Then they launched.

My son literally flies — he became a pilot.

They left. Successfully. Strong wings.

That’s what we prayed for… right?

But when the nest became empty, I found myself still sitting there.

Lonely. Wondering what my purpose was now.

Two years passed before I finally cried out, “Lord, what’s next?”

And He answered:

“Abandon the nest. Become a bird feeder.”

From Control to Cultivation

The nest is for raising.
The feeder is for nourishing.

The nest holds tightly.
The feeder invites freely.

The nest protects from the storm.
The feeder strengthens them for flight.

Your role shifts.

You cannot control grown wings. But you can create a place they want to return to — a place of nourishment, not nagging. Prayer, not pressure. Invitation, not intimidation.

This generation may look like rebellion on the surface.

But what if it’s actually hunger?

What if beneath the noise is a longing for revelation?

God is not wringing His hands over your children. He loves them more than you ever could. The same grace that pursued you is pursuing them.

And while He shapes them — He is shaping you too.

So stay pliable.
Stay surrendered.
Stay movable in the Potter’s hands.

This is not just a revolution.

It may very well be a revelation.