I had an awesome Mother’s Day. I really did. I was feeling warm and fuzzy inside and was just so grateful to be a mother. 
HOWEVER, the warm and fuzzes disappeared yesterday. I mean all the way disappeared. I was trying to process some not so good news that I received in the morning. Then my children worked my already worked nerves. Praise God for the grace to not yell like a mad woman, instead I lifted my heart to God in prayer. After the kids left for school, I prayed and cried some more. I was so exhausted midday that I decided to take a nap. Ten minutes into my nap, the doorbell rang…3 times! I was not happy. Reluctantly I got out of bed and looked through my bedroom window and saw the vehicle of a sweet friend that attends our church. I yelled out the window and told her I was coming down. When I opened the door, she handed me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I asked her what they were for and she told me no reason. She smiled, gave me a hug and then left. I took the flowers and went and sat on my couch and cried. Even though she didn’t know all that was going on, she was on assignment to give me flowers and a hug from my heavenly Father.
I was so overwhelmed by the love and concern of God. In that moment He ministered to me and let me know that my tears and prayers that I prayed that morning did not go unnoticed. He saw and heard me. Only a true and living God can do that. I continue to be absolutely amazed at how He ministers to me in such personal ways. His love for me is mind blowing. It makes me want to serve Him even more! Be encouraged, God hears your prayers and sees your tears.
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
The enemy is shrewd and is always looking for ways to devour our children. His goal is to have them live contrary to their God given purpose and to ultimately destroy them. We must not be passive. As parents we have been given the great task of speaking life over our children, reminding them that they were called before they were born. It is imperative that we let our children know God has a purpose for their life and encourage them to live accordingly. Below I created a quick worksheet highlighting the call of Samson in Judges Chapter 13. Take some time to read the passage and answer the reflection questions below.
Reflection Questions for Judges Chapter 13
God gave specific guidelines for Samson before He was even born. Why did God give these specific guidelines? In other words what was Samson’s purpose?
Even though Samson’s mother was not called to be the deliverer for Israel, she also had to be careful about what she consumed as she carried Samson. Are you aware that what you consume (spiritually) can affect the call of God on your child?
What are some things (spiritually speaking) that you need to remove from your diet, to help foster the call of God on your child’s life?
Sometimes we may need more clarity on the call of God on our child’s life, it is ok to ask. What does Samson’s father do in Judges 13: 8? What does He ask for?
What does James 1:5 tell us to do?
Has the Lord given you any insights concerning the call on your child’s life? Please list them below.
Have you been asking God for wisdom on how to help develop the call/purpose for your child’s life? What are some practical things you can do to help develop that call?
I want to encourage you to really consider the words that are coming out of our mouth when speaking to your children. It is easy to become careless with our words. However, a big part of parenting is blessing (affirming) our children. Speaking the word of God over them is the best affirmation. As I speak the word over them, it shapes their identity and they recognize who they are in Christ. Blessing my children with the word of God also combats the schemes of the enemy and cancels every curse.
Below is a brief worksheet that I created to get the process started to encourage you to speak life (blessings) over your children. Take some time to fill out this worksheet and reflect on the suggested verses. Pray and ask the Lord to help you prioritize spending time with in prayer and the study of His word so that He can fill your mouth with what to say as you parent. Be sure to visit this link for suggestions on scripture that you can speak/pray over your children.
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BLESSING OUR CHILDREN BY SPEAKING THE WORD OF GOD OVER THEM
Scripture tells us that _________and ___________ are in the _________of the _________(Proverbs 18:21).
Whose words should you speak over your children?
John 6:63 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Can we speak life (the word of God) over our children? Can we decree blessings over them if we don’t know the word?
Briefly write down your game plan for studying God’s word starting this week. Consider the following questions as you create your plan.
Let’s get personal
On a normal day, what are some of the things you say to your children (when you are angry with them, when their behavior displeases you, when they interrupt you)?
What are your biggest areas of struggle as a parent? In what ways have your children challenged you?
What are some specific scriptures you can speak over your children to combat these issues?
Don’t forget to visit this site to get ideas on scriptures you can pray over your children. Be blessed!
I get it. Training is hard work and it is sometimes easier doing things on our own. However, training children to help out at home is beneficial to both parent and child. It is so easy for parents to burn out and become resentful because we do it all. When we set expectations and train our children to help, it lays a great foundation for the future. Listen to the below clip from my YouTube channel on this thought and don’t forget to subscribe. Leave a comment and let me know how your children help out at home. I would love to hear from you!
There is a lot that pulls at me but when I parent, I have to prioritize eternity.
I must
This is simply not an option
I want my love for Jesus to be contagious
I want my days to be spent bringing Him glory even in the mundane.
I feel these children watching my every action, weighing them more than they do my words.
I am learning it’s beyond taking them to church and reading them bible stories so that they can know the facts.
Most of us have the right answers, but do we live it?
Beyond knowledge of the word, I want them to have a relationship with the word that became flesh.
More than anything I want them to know Jesus as their own.
This is not automatic. I must be intentional. I can’t give to my children what I don’t have. Every day I have an option; do I seek His face or seek to do my will?
Seems like a simple answer but life has a way of complicating simple matters
If I let it
These last 12 years of parenting has taught me that children are more discerning than I previously thought. They can smell a hypocrite from miles away.
I tell them to get in their word, but do they see me on my laptop more than they see me reading my bible?
I tell them to forgive but do I hold on to anger towards their dad or towards them?
I tell them to pray and bring their worries to the Lord but do they see me on the phone more than they see me on my knees?
I tell them to have self-control but do they see me eating my worries away?
I tell them to be a servant but do they hear me murmur and complain about all the domestic chores I am CALLED to do?
I tell them to fully obey but do they see me practicing selective obedience because I am good and grown?
Honest questions that deserve honest answers. And did I mention, a hypocrite can do some serious damage to innocent bystanders.
How do I steward these 6 blessings the Lord has given me?
The call of motherhood is weighty. It can be sobering to think that my actions can either draw them or turn them away from Jesus.
MY ACTIONS CAN DETERMINE WHERE THEY SPEND ETERNITY!
Yes, I am fully aware that I can’t chose Jesus for my children but my actions can make the choice more appealing.
So I pray real hard
For grace to mother the way my Father wants me to.
For the right focus to seek the Kingdom of God first and then relax knowing that all these others things will be added!
For the discipline to push the distractions to the side , silencing the unnecessary noise so that I can hear and respond to His still small voice(Social media and all her kinfolks, relationships that pull me away from Jesus, thoughts that are trespassing on God’s property…my Mind …just to name a few).
Yes Ma’am I have been called to something big…I have to introduce Jesus to my children!
I get it. I am a mother of six. I know that it can sometimes be challenging to find time to spend with the Lord. However, it is not impossible! Watch the attached video for a few practical tips. How do you find time to spend with the Lord? Leave me a comment, I would love to know.