God's Thoughts - Dinner #67

     A month has gone by, and I still can’t help but be awed and amazed over the birth of our little Jacqueline Grace . . . Wow! Our God is SO good!  Psalm 139:17-18 declares, “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand . . .” How very many thoughts our Lord had concerning this Tiny Bundle!  And how perfectly incredible that our God – the God of the entire universe- takes the time to THINK about US!

     Having kept a careful watch on our ultrasounds, my doctor had already been concerned about our daughter’s slow rate of growth, and warned us that she might have to face some time in the NICU.  I had wondered about the details of Baby #2’s delivery, and played endless scenarios through my mind, but only the Lord knew the events that would unfold.   Jacqueline came into the world exactly 3 weeks before her due date.  When I think back upon it all, now, my heart wants to sing with the words of King Solomon, “He hath made every thing beautiful in his time . . .” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)  We had good health insurance, and a doctor whom I greatly admire . . . Our 18-month-old was able to be lovingly cared for by her Grammy, while we were in the hospital . . . A dear relative had brand new preemie outfits shipped to us, immediately, when she heard that our Baby Girl would be so tiny . . . And even though she was born at 37 weeks, Jacqueline weighed JUST ENOUGH to keep her from requiring a stay in the NICU!  We were able to start out the new year by going home from the hospital, as a family!

     Psalm 31:19 says, “Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!” And that’s exactly what our baby’s arrival was like – like taking carefully stored presents off a shelf, one after another – each one, a special blessing and answer to prayer.  Some of the Lord’s answers regarding our Baby Girl had been “yes” or “no”, some had been “wait”, and some were greater than anything we could have imagined!

Was there a reason that God closed all job possibilities in Virginia, last October, and gave us peace about staying here a while longer? Yes, indeed! If we had left in OUR OWN TIMING, Jacqueline would have surprised us before the 60 days that it usually takes for a new health insurance plan to go into effect!  More than likely, we would not have even had time to choose a new doctor, yet!  Isaiah 55:8-9 declares, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

    Things are quite busy 24/7 in the Kelley Household, right now, but my heart is just so full of all that God has done for our newest Baby Girl!  In Mark 5:19, Jesus told a man, “ . . .Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee . . .”  What has God done for us? He has blessed us with Jacqueline Grace!! Weighing little more than a 5lb. bag of sugar, at her birth, she went from sipping milk on a plastic spoon, to drinking with a preemie bottle nipple – no IVs necessary, praise the Lord! A month later, now, she is growing, eating, and doing great!  Usually gobbles down 3-4 oz. at a time, and lets you know REAL QUICK when she's suddenly starving! SMILE! Her big, beautiful eyes warm the heart, and make this mommy want to touch her hair, kiss her little cheeks, and rub noses with her, for all eternity! And this is only the beginning!  Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil . . .”  What wonderful plans God has for your life, Little Jacqueline!  What wonderful plans He has in store for EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US!!

     God Bless & Happy New Year!

Peaceful Thoughts - Dinner #65

     I am so grateful to God for all of you who have been praying for us! I am so grateful to Him for the work that He has been doing in my heart!  For what has felt like ages, I could hardly even talk to the Lord about this possible moving situation.  I wanted to trust Him so badly, but felt as though somehow He just didn’t know what He was doing, this time . . . He just didn’t understand . . . I wanted to be the one in control! I didn’t like all of the waiting for answers, and somehow felt rather like Jacob, “wrestling with the angel”, left and right. I didn’t want to move . . . Then, was willing to move . . . Worried about MY parents if we DID move . . . Then worried about HIS parents if we DIDN’T move . . . Fretted over my husband’s work situation . . . Fretted over my own pregnancy and delivery situation . . . Gave the Lord all my problems in prayer . . . Then took my burdens right back off the altar . . . . . . again and again. 

     Just this week, it was finally as though I came to the end of myself  and saw all of my distrust of the Lord for the ugliness that it truly was. One night, I prayed and cried from our bedroom, telling the Lord every single thing I was afraid of, in the midst of this waiting process, and every single thing I needed HIM ALONE to care for.  Psalm 139:2 says,“ . . . thou understandest my thought afar off.” How GLAD I am that He does! He knows EXACTLY what we’re going through at any given point and time in our lives! The Bible reminds us that He even holds our very breath in His hands (Daniel 5:23). Why don’t we trust Him more?!

     The truth of the matter is, I still don’t have the answers for the things our family is facing, right now.  I still don’t know if we will be moving to a different state within the next few weeks.   I still don’t know how we would financially take care of everything if we moved OR if we stayed. The Lord has recently reminded me of Colossians 3:15, however: “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts . . .” It is a CHOICE we make! His peace is right there for the taking, but we must LET it rule within our hearts!  Sometimes we don’t truly want that peace of God, do we? We THINK we want it, but we aren’t really LETTING God give it to us! 

     Could I allow those anxious worries to come right back to my heart? Quite easily! I could become fearful, all over again, of having a new delivery doctor, of uprooting Brooklyn from her “baby routine”, of temporarily living with my in-laws, of not making it back to Georgia for Thanksgiving, or of possibly not having our own home until month 8 or 9 of my pregnancy . . . but I’d rather LET God’s peace be at rule in my heart! I’d rather trust Him for Who He really is! Psalm 55:18 declares, “He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me . . .” I don’t want that “fear battle” to rage within my heart again, any time soon! I’d rather say with the Psalmist David, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” (Psalm 56:3) We may move or we may stay, but God is still in control! And HIS way is BEST! Thank You, Lord, for Your precious peace!

The Security of God's Presence - Dinner #62

     I’m SO grateful that God has chosen to give another Little Blessing to our home! I’m rejoicing in the fact that God reached down from Heaven and is making my body ABLE to carry another baby, despite the world warning me differently!  But there are so many times, when I look around me and wonder, can I really do this?! I’m struggling right now, just dealing with an active 13-month-old who’s had runny diapers and been staining outfits left-and-right for the past week!  HOW ON EARTH will I EVER do dishes or keep up with laundry when I’m back to sitting on the couch, nursing for 8 hours out of the day? Or how will I EVER properly correct and discipline as Brooklyn moves into the 2-year-old stage? Am I really READY for two children? I think I need to re-memorize Psalm 57:7 – “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.” And then there’s my special verse in Psalm 113:9 - “He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children . . .” A JOYFUL mother of children!  Yes! Ok! I can do this! I just have to trust in the Lord! I’ll be joyful! It will all work out! And then I begin to question and doubt again . . .

    What other thoughts have been plaguing this expectant mother’s mind? I have no idea where this baby is going to be born!  Is the Lord suddenly going to supply the job, the house, and the money required, for us to make a long-distance move? If we stay here, can we possibly fit two cribs in that one small bedroom? How can I start planning, rearranging and decorating for this poor little one, if I don’t even know where we’re going to be in the next few months? Will I even still be here NEXT month, to find out the baby’s gender, or will we be caught in the middle of an insurance transition? My mind just wants to go CRAZY sometimes with all of the wonderings, the fears, and the “what ifs”!

     Do you know what I KNOW that I need, more than anything, right now? THE SECURITY OF GOD’S PRESENCE.  Psalm 36:7 declares, “How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.”  Our daughter Brooklyn usually cries HYSTERICALLY if someone is vacuuming in the house, but if someone else is HOLDING HER during the vacuuming, she’s perfectly fine!  How often are we just like that? Completely flipping out when we’re overwhelmed and scared, unless we STOP and realize that we are being HELD by our Heavenly Father! Psalm 34:17 “The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.” Psalm 34:4 “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Not just one of my fears – ALL of them! How I need to hold onto that verse, once again!

     If I feel alone with my fears, Psalm 139:7 reminds me, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” Why have I chosen to write about these things, tonight, as my baby girl is sleeping and my husband is working? Perhaps, because it is during the quiet moments, that we tend to THINK and to FEAR the most.  The month of July has threatened to choke my heart with fearful discouragement, this year.  I wrote this devotional because I NEEDED to write this devotional! I NEEDED these verses, this month! Are you, too, in need of the security of God’s Holy Presence, tonight? Then may we pray the words of Psalm 61:1-2, 4: “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I . . . I will trust in the covert of thy wings.”  God Bless, Dear Sisters, and Goodnight!

Why "Bother" To Celebrate - Dinner #60

     Baby’s 1^st. Birthday Party . . . Some parents host big, fancy affairs, some keep things simple, some choose not to celebrate it at all.  I think it is very sad to leave off observing the day, entirely!  A first birthday should be a special celebration of milestones! The Bible teaches us that it is IMPORTANT to celebrate things that the Lord has brought us through!  I don’t even know where to begin in thinking of everything God has done for us, in this first year of Brooklyn’s life!  He let me find a doctor who believed in testing progesterone levels, in order to prevent miscarriages . . . He allowed the doctor to get the umbilical cord off our baby’s neck in time . . . He provided a wise emergency room doctor who realized she was allergic to milk . . . He allowed her weight to begin successfully picking up . . . He gave her strength to sit up, and crawl, and walk . . . The Lord has BLESSED us!

     Whenever a Christian celebrates, the world stops and stares.  Psalm 126:2-3 declares, “Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.” Christians OUGHT to celebrate things like birthdays, salvations, successful surgeries, or the start of a new year!  A time of celebration gives us an opportunity to sing God’s praises! “Yes! The Lord HATH done great things for us! Let me tell you what He has done!”

    Why “bother” to do something for a child’s first birthday? Joshua 4:21-22 tells us why - “And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.” Someday, you may have a preschooler in your home who loves to look at photos from his babyhood.  He’s going to want to hear all about the presents, the people who were there, the cake that got all over his face . . . And you’re going to be able to tell him, “We celebrated because we LOVED you! We celebrated because we were thankful that God GAVE YOU TO US for even just one full year of your life! We celebrated because you are a BLESSING!” What better time to rejoice in the GIFT OF LIFE than at a baby’s first birthday?!

     It’s more than just celebrating a birthday – It’s learning to treasure a child every day, realizing that we do not know how long we will have them with us.  I Samuel 1:27+2:1 “For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him . . . And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD . . .” All you need is a JOYFUL HEART - one that praises God and says, “Thank You for giving us this child!” Has God given your child health and life? Has He provided for your baby’s needs? Has He given you, as a Mommy, daily strength? Then, even a FIRST birthday is important to celebrate!  

Thoughts On Mother's Day - Dinner #25 Re-Posted

I wanted to re-post this particular "Dinner's In The Oven" devotional from last year, in honor of Mother's Day . . . I remember well the thoughts of my heart, as I carried Brooklyn in my womb, last May! What a blessing to be taking her to church with me, this Mother's Day! SMILE! A special blessing to all my mommy friends - those with grown children, those with young children, and those whose babies are in Heaven, tonight . . . Happy Mother's Day!

      If we believe from the Bible that life begins at conception, then so does mommyhood! Perhaps you were never able to hold your little one, and you think that Mother’s Day is not for you.  I believe that it is!  Some babies are taken straight from the womb to the arms of Jesus, but any lady who has ever had a child growing inside her womb is truly a mother! Maybe your baby is still growing inside of you, and you think you have to wait another year to celebrate this tender holiday – but you don’t!  That baby within your womb is not motherless!  As you daily share your tummy, your warmth, your food, with that little life that God has created, you alone are its mom!  

     In Psalm 139:13, David tells the Lord, “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.”  God is the Creator of life, and yet in the body of a mother, He chooses to form and nurture another human being. Isaiah 44:2 “Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb . . .”  Children are so very dear to God that He knows them BEFORE they are even formed in the womb, and has a particular purpose for each of their lives!  Jeremiah 1:5 declares, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; andbefore thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee . . .”  If you too, are an expectant mother this Mother’s Day, you are no doubt marveling anew at what God has brought about in your life.  Someone dear to God – a person that He loved before time began – a soul that He sent His only Son to die for – is being “made in secret, and curiously wrought” (Psalm 139:15) within your womb.  What a truly amazing and incredible thing!

     Psalm 139:16 declares, “Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”  DNA . . . genes . . . every feature is already determined at the moment of conception.  God knows that child’s future hair color, eye color, growth potential . . . And yet there are some of these precious little lives that, for reasons we may not fully understand, God chooses to take quite early to His Kingdom.  Is there comfort for the hurting mamas who are left behind?  There is the comfort that their baby is in a perfect, beautiful, and safe place. There is also the comfort that comes from that “peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7)  Some who have gone through great sorrow on earth, perhaps even losing multiple babies, have such glad reunions to look forward to on Heaven’s shore!  But while here below, do not think for a minute that earth’s celebration of motherhood is not for you!  No matter how long or how short a time you carried a baby within your womb, God used you and your spouse, and the wonderful love that you have for each other, to create a new life - you ARE a mom!  And heaven is only richer for the little one who left your womb for its glory. 

     With the writing of these thoughts, I want to send out a "Happy Mother's Day" to all my friends who are expectant moms along with me, as well as those whose little ones are being babysat by the angels in heaven for a while! If you are a mommy who can embrace your children in person this weekend, or hear their voices over the telephone, a special "Happy Mother's Day" to you, as well!  May the Lord bless you, each and every one!

Christmas Blessing - Dinner #41

     After more than a week of feeling nauseous and dizzy, and needing extra sleep, this month, I was pretty positive I was expecting a baby, again.  Things eventually proved otherwise, however, and my excitement of being able to announce to family at Christmas that we were having another baby, came to an abrupt end.    Do you know what happened in my heart, through all of that, though?  The temporary tears of disappointment only made me want to love on our Baby Brooklyn all the more!  It made me want to treasure being her mother, and thank God for blessing us with her, all over again.  We did not know if I would be able to have any children, but God gave her to us!  Psalm 113:9 “He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children . . .” Becoming a mother is a joyful, happy thing!  Brooklyn’s smiles, her giggles, her little chirps and gurgles brighten our days with such joy!  What sunshine, those ladies who desire no children, deny themselves!  Psalm 127:3 “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.”

      The best present of all, that very first Christmas in Bethlehem, was Jesus Christ, God’s Son – the promised Messiah!  Have you ever stopped to think what would have happened if Mary had said she and Joseph were too poor to raise children?  What if she had said she was just too scared to become a mother?  What if she had told God she didn’t want to have any babies?   ALL babies are blessings from heaven, but this One most of all!  Matthew 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”  Mary had a willing spirit to carry a very special Baby within her womb.  She rejoiced to be given such a task! Luke 1:46-49 “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.  For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.”

     Jesus could have come to earth as a full-grown man, but that wasn’t God’s plan.  He allowed Mary to conceive the Messiah without ever having been intimate with any man.  He allowed her to feel His Holy Son kicking and moving within her womb.  He let her watch Jesus eat His first solid food and take His first baby steps.  This was something very special!  Mary was allowed to be Jesus’ mother!  She was not holy or perfect.  She, herself, needed a Savior!  But she “found favour with God.” (Luke 1:30)

     Will any other woman on earth have that same blessing? No.  None of us will ever give birth to the perfect Son of God.  Jesus came to this earth just once as a little baby.  When He returns, He will be coming in power and glory, as He Who died and rose again.  Only Mary will ever be known as the “mother of Jesus”.  He was truly her little “Christmas Blessing”.  If we are mothers, we each have “little blessings” of our own, however!  I, and no one else, have the blessing of being Brooklyn Elizabeth’s mommy.  You are blessed to be the mother of YOUR children. 

     How precious it is, if we are able to have our children and grandchildren gathered around us, this Christmas!  As December 25^th quickly approaches, I want to encourage you Mommies to hold dear the child blessings in your life!  Family should mean more to us than any present we could ever receive.  And, above all, cherish the birth of the Father’s Only Son, - the Emmanuel of all mankind!  

GOD BLESS & MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Newness Of Mommyhood - Dinner #27

     You think you're a prepared woman.  You've worked in church nurseries, you've attended a class at the hospital, you've watched DVD material on how to care for a newborn, you've read countless articles and listened to advice from experienced moms . . . and then your OWN baby is suddenly brought home from the hospital . . . WOW, are you ever in for a surprise!  Brooklyn is now a month old, and the verse that has come to my mind the most during the past few weeks is I Corinthians 8:2 - "And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know." I thought I understood how tired I would be, waking up in the middle of the night to feed my baby.  I was DETERMINED not to give my child a pacifier until she was at least 3 weeks old.  I was certain I'd never EVER give my little girl formula from a bottle.  I was sure I'd be over the hormonal "baby blues" within just a week or two of having Brooklyn.  Let me now say with experience, when motherhood is suddenly upon you, you truly realize that you are a person who ". . . knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know." SMILE!

     Another good verse for new moms is I Corinthians 10:12 - "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."  If you get to the point where you think you have all your emotional "ducks in a row", you'd better watch out!  You may very well fall flat on your face!  When you think you won't ever be frustrated with your baby's actions again, she's going to stain her cutest church dress with a dirty diaper.  When you're sure you'll never be upset at your husband over parenting issues again, he'll rest the carrier with the baby IN it, on the hood of your car.  But when the temptation comes for us to blow our top, we can stand on the promise that with each event that tries our patience, God HAS made a way for us to escape falling.  I Corinthians 10:13 - "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."  Believe it or not, those raging hormones DON'T have to get the better of us! SMILE!

     While it is easy to see our glaring mistakes, it is also easy to gloat about our new-mommy successes.  If pride steps in and causes us to think we're just the most incredible mom ever, we need to recall the words of II Corinthians 3:5 - "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God."  If I even APPEAR to be a sufficient mother to my newborn, it will only be because of Christ!  It is not in and of myself!

     As I'm going through these first-time experiences, it is SO good to know that many of my girl friends are in the same boat! - Each of us struggling to make sense of the new world we find ourselves in.  Are you a lady just about to step into the world of motherhood?  Be prepared to find yourself LESS prepared than you ever imagined.  God wants you to HAVE to rely upon Him during these new days!  Do you feel like you couldn't possibly stumble in a certain area of your life again? "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." And if you're tempted to think you're the best there is, remember that any sufficiency AT ALL only ever comes from God.  May the Lord bring a smile this week with the verse that declares, "And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know." Some of us are still coming to the conclusion that NONE of us have "arrived". SMILE!

Thoughts On Mother's Day - Dinner #25

     If we believe from the Bible that life begins at conception, then so does mommyhood! Perhaps you were never able to hold your little one, and you think that Mother’s Day is not for you.  I believe that it is!  Some babies are taken straight from the womb to the arms of Jesus, but any lady who has ever had a child growing inside her womb is truly a mother!  Maybe your baby is still growing inside of you, and you think you have to wait another year to celebrate this tender holiday – but you don’t!  That baby within your womb is not motherless!  As you daily share your tummy, your warmth, your food, with that little life that God has created, you alone are its mom! 

     In Psalm 139:13, David tells the Lord, “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.”  God is the Creator of life, and yet in the body of a mother, He chooses to form and nurture another human being. Isaiah 44:2 “Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb . . .”  Children are so very dear to God that He knows them BEFORE they are even formed in the womb, and has a particular purpose for each of their lives!  Jeremiah 1:5 declares, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee . . .”  If you too, are an expectant mother this Mother’s Day, you are no doubt marveling anew at what God has brought about in your life.  Someone dear to God – a person that He loved before time began – a soul that He sent His only Son to die for – is being “made in secret, and curiously wrought” (Psalm 139:15) within your womb.  What a truly amazing and incredible thing!

     Psalm 139:16 declares, “Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”  DNA . . . genes . . . every feature is already determined at the moment of conception.  God knows that child’s future hair color, eye color, growth potential . . . And yet there are some of these precious little lives that, for reasons we may not fully understand, God chooses to take quite early to His Kingdom.  Is there comfort for the hurting mamas who are left behind?  There is the comfort that their baby is in a perfect, beautiful, and safe place.  There is also the comfort that comes from that “peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7)  Some who have gone through great sorrow on earth, perhaps even losing multiple babies, have such glad reunions to look forward to on Heaven’s shore!  But while here below, do not think for a minute that earth’s celebration of motherhood is not for you!  No matter how long or how short a time you carried a baby within your womb, God used you and your spouse, and the wonderful love that you have for each other, to create a new life - you ARE a mom!  And heaven is only richer for the little one who left your womb for its glory. 

     With the writing of these thoughts, I want to send out a "Happy Mother's Day" to all my friends who are expectant moms along with me, as well as those whose little ones are being babysat by the angels in heaven for a while! If you are a mommy who can embrace your children in person this weekend, or hear their voices over the telephone, a special "Happy Mother's Day" to you, as well!  May the Lord bless you, each and every one!

Baby Boys & Girls - Dinner #21

     I have a list on my dining room table with the names of the 15 other ladies my husband and I know, who are due in June and July of this year.  We’ve been keeping track as each lady has discovered whether they’re having a boy or a girl, and it has been fun seeing which group outnumbers the other.  SMILE!  About half of my lady friends are going to be first-time mommies like myself, and the other half are pros by now.  Summer is just around the corner and it’s going to be an exciting time! SMILE! 

     Even before I was expecting Brooklyn, I was fond of the verse in Psalm 144 which says, “That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace.”  During this time in my life, the verse has come alive once again.  Some of my friends will soon be decorating their nurseries with trucks and airplanes, while others of us are searching for flowers and butterflies.  There are distinct Bible differences between boys and girls, as well.  “That our sons may be as plants . . . that our daughters may be as corner stones . . .”

     If mothers of baby boys are to raise their sons to be like plants, what exactly does that mean??  Plants provide food and shelter when mature.  These are young men who have been trained to care for their own families, one day.  Strong roots are also a sign of a healthy plant.  Psalm 1:3 declares that the blessed man, “ . . . shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”  He is ready to be successful in whatever God has him pursue in life.  When the storms of life arise, he is stable, with his roots deep in the soil of God’s Word.  Plants need sunlight in order to thrive, and what better way for our little boys to gather light and nutrients than from spending time in God’s holy Presence each day?  Mothers of boys are to be cultivators of healthy plants for the Lord!

     Then there are little girls . . . My Bible’s center column says that these “corner stones” are really “pillars, sculptured in palace style.”  How should we prepare our daughters to be “corner stones” or “pillars”?  We must raise them to be strong young women, ready to stand firm when they are shaken in life.  These “polished” pillars are beautiful!  How delightful if our girls are beautiful in their outward appearance, but how much more precious if they are taught to have beauty in their HEARTS!  “ . . . polished after the similitude of a palace.”  These are young women who seem as though they really belong in a castle – the palace of the King of Kings.  They are God’s little princesses, and everyone around them can tell – by the way they dress, the way they act, and the way they talk.  But pillars are not only decorative – they are also vital in holding up large structures.  Proverbs 14:1 declares, “Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.”  These are young women who help to encourage and hold up their families, keeping them standing in a world where war wages all around.  What an important task to train our little girls to be pillars in a spiritual battleground! 

     “That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace.”  Are you already a Mom?  Are you excitedly looking forward to becoming one, like I am?  May God bless us as we raise “plants” and “pillars” for Him!