Thursday "Thoughts for Moms" (and Dads)

Do all that you can to protect your children, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well. If you have a "check" in your spirit about placing them in a particular environment (whether it be a classroom, baby-sitter's home, etc.), pay attention to that feeling. Perhaps it is the Holy Spirit trying to alert you that this isn't the place for your little one--or even just medium-to-almost-grown one.

Your child is the most precious gift the Lord has ever bestowed on you and worthy of all the time, concern, and unconditional love you have to give. They are not a "hassle," sent to torment your life but a "blessing." Sometimes we see the blessing more clearly through trials--when our child has emerged on the other side.

But God sees the innermost part of your child--as I was reading in a precious friend's "book in process" today, He has knit each one together in the womb--He was concerned with every intricate detail, so great is His love for each precious one. He sees who this child--this specific one--is destined to be. And He wants so much for this little life to be one of joy, peace, and especially love.

You know your child better than almost anyone, but the doors to his or her heart must stay open in order for that knowledge to continue to be accurate. That means that you must meet your child each day with ready arms of love, a willingness to be "disrupted," and a fierce mother's instinct (I know Dads can have a special instinct as well--but in my experience, it's a bit different).

Sadly, we cannot protect our children from everything, but if we listen to the Lord and pray continually, we will have way less room for regret. God, of course, covers many things that we cannot control or foresee. He is very merciful that way. But as moms, one of our primary jobs, as I see it, is to understand the heart of each child and do all that we can--with the mighty help of the Lord--to prevent its injury. And when it is injured, we must seek the Lord for solutions, for His healing. Some healings may come quickly; some may not.

Stay in touch with your child's heart. Ask the hard questions. Don't be afraid of the answers. Let your love for your child outweigh the uncomfortable, the shocking, and the inconceivable.

I always felt growing up that my mom was too protective of me. I understand now that it was because she didn't want me to ever have to experience some of the pain she had had to go through. Better to be too overprotective than not protective enough.

I Thessalonians 2:7 reads, "But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children." I encourage you, moms--keep that gentleness and tenderness. Don't let it grow cold or slip away or see it as "too soft" for your child's age. It is the heart of the Father, and He will bless it. 

I believe God gave us the "mother bear" instinct for a reason, and that although we must restrain it at times we should never seek to dull this sense.

God is a jealous God (Exodus 34). And so should we as mothers be jealous for the abundant life of our children, no matter what it takes. Maybe we'll be embarrassed, maybe we'll be judged, maybe we'll simply look like an idiot. But what matters most at the end of the day is "Was I a good mom to my kid today?" Obviously, we're going to make mistakes. 

But the goal of our hearts should ever be: "She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed;..." (Proverbs 31:26-28a). Ask the Lord to quicken your mother bear instinct and to penetrate every corner of your being with love for this child, the one before you, the one who is more precious than any earthly thing--the one you would go to any lengths to protect. Let the magnitude of that responsibility sink in, and never let it lessen.

No matter how old they get, they'll always be your children. And they deserve your very best.