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The former Republican presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon cited his childhood of “housing insecurity” during remarks on Capitol Hill, where he faced the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs for the confirmation hearing.

Dr. Ben Carson, who often spoke on the campaign trail about growing up with an illiterate single mother in Detroit, referred to her in his opening statement amid some concerns about his qualifications to run the agency and commitment to its survival.

“She didn’t have any skills, basically a third-grade education, and we had no place to live,” he said. “She couldn’t afford the house, so we ended up moving to Boston, moving in with relatives. So I have actually in my life understood what housing insecurity was. And we were there in Boston for a couple of years.”

“The person who has the most to say about where you live is you.” Ben Carson’s mother.

Isn’t that what being a mom is all about?  Believing for our children when they can’t yet believe for themselves.

Somewhere along the way society has fooled us into believing lies about our children like:

1. You are entitled to have the same as others, even as those who work harder than you.
2. You are being cheated.
3. You should receive a trophy just for being on the team.
4. Your classmate was chosen for that club because their parents brown-nose at the school.
5. The referee cheated.
6. You should be allowed to turn in that homework a week late.  You are busy.

As parents we can easily fall into the trap of making excuses for our children, trying to spare them any struggle or lobbying for them to receive something for nothing…and if we do that, we have failed them.

1. You are not entitled to anything…other than life, liberty, and the PURSUIT of happiness.  But, you must pursue.  Hard work will pay off and you don’t get something for nothing, nor should you.
2. You have all the opportunity in the world, but you must capitalize on it.
3. There is a winner and a loser…period.  Work to win and when you fail, try again.
4. Bull.
5. Take the game out of the hand of the referee.
6. Zero. Lesson learned.

Life is hard.  I am a forty-something wife, mother of three, GiGi to three, and a professional.  My husband and are blessed by a good God far more than we deserve and so are our children.  However, no one owes them anything.  They must work hard for what they desire and are called to and they must keep their focus on Christ.  Thank goodness, Dr. Carson’s mother didn’t offer him excuses or accept mediocrity.

Dr. Carson has made a Kingdom impact on our culture, simply because his mother first believed he could.

My love,