Great With Child - Dinner #66

     This December, I find a sense of joy in the fact that, because of Jacqueline,  I get to share in a little of what Mary must have felt.  Luke 2:5 describes her as “being great with child”, and, at 36 weeks, this Christmas, that is exactly where I find myself! Knowing the desire in my own heart for everything to be clean, and comfortable, and ready for when this baby arrives, I have a keener sense of the FAITH Mary must have had!  She was traveling, probably walking miles upon miles, with no knowledge of where her Baby would be born, or if she’d even make it to Bethlehem in time.  How many nights did she lay awake, imagining herself giving birth out in the wilderness, somewhere? Wondering if Joseph and she would know what to do, when the time came? 

     Luke 2:6-7 tells us, “And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger: because there was no room for them in the inn.”  Labor was upon her, there was no shelter for them except a humble stable, and Mary did what she had to do – She was specifically chosen by God - the right mother for the job!  It is a beautiful and comforting thought to me that, no matter under what circumstances Jacqueline is born, when the days are “accomplished” that I, too, should “be delivered”, I’ll be the right mother for the job!

     During these final weeks of my pregnancy, I sometimes find myself tearfully wondering if I’m really ready to take care of TWO children.  During one such recent night of reflecting, the Lord sweetly gave me II Timothy 1:7 to hold onto: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” I don’t have to be afraid of having two little ones . . . The Lord will give me the strength and the love that I need to care for them, and will help me to keep my sanity, in the midst of it all! SMILE!  He has CHOSEN ME to be their mother!

     So many special things followed the birth of Mary’s Baby Boy: the arrival of the shepherds, the admiration of the wise men, the rejoicing of Simeon and Anna, the night flight into Egypt . . . Mary had to be the right Mommy for God’s chosen Messiah, through all of that! She needed peace, and tranquility, and faith – all of which came from the Lord! This December, as I begin quickly approaching my own due date, I want to have a little more of the faith and the strength that Mary must have had!  I can’t just crumble because I’m a bit scared that nursing a newborn and taming a toddler at the same time, is going to be too much!  If I want Brooklyn and Jacqueline to one day be women of faith, I need to maintain that godly faith, myself! In II Timothy 1:5, Paul says, “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” Genuine faith is an EXAMPLE to the generations following!  One day, my girls are going to be calling to cry on MY shoulder about their mothering fears and anxieties, and I want to be ready when they do!  I want to be ready to say, in all honesty, “The Lord helped guide ME through such days, and He will be right there to help you, too!”

     This Christmas, I write to you, battling back aches, fatigue, mood swings, and Braxton Hicks contractions, but I’m THE RIGHT WOMAN FOR THE JOB! SMILE! I GET to bring another little life into the world!  I GET to help raise another young lady for the Lord Jesus! I GET to look into another beautiful little face and know that God has richly blessed the love my dear husband and I have for each other! This is my PRIVILEGE! When Mary thought about all that the Lord was doing IN her and THROUGH her, she lifted up her voice and said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” (Luke 1:46-47)  Thank You, Lord Jesus, for making me and enabling me to be a MOM!

     A very special “Merry Christmas” to all of you, Ladies! God Bless!

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!

Rejecting A Blessing - Dinner #58

     We say it aloud during tearful farewells and  joyful occasions . . . We write it at the end of letters . . . “God Bless!”  How DOES the Lord bless us? With provisions, with safety, with good health, with children . . . When we pray, “Lord, please bless our marriage!” or “Lord, please bless our family!”, do we really mean it?  Is it possible that God might WANT to bless us, but that we are in some way REJECTING the blessing?!  

    For about the first six months of married life, my husband and I paid our bills, bought our groceries and our gas, and then gave to the church “as we were able”.  Things didn’t work out so well that way, and again and again, we felt guilty.  There just wasn’t enough “left over” for the Lord!  We both knew what the Bible teaches about giving by faith, but it can be very hard to do when you’re first starting out, and just trying to keep a roof over your heads! A new year came around, and we determined that we would give FIRST, and trust the Lord to take care of us.  Do you know what we saw happen? We saw God stretch our groceries further than ever before! We saw God give enough gas every week to keep us from running out!  We saw God provide insurance coverage that paid for the delivery of our baby girl! And the list goes on and on . . . Malachi 3:10 “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”  The Lord truly keeps His Word!  He was more than ready to bless us - we just needed to trust Him more!  Are you forgoing tithing, and missing out on a blessing?

     Our Heavenly Father does not only bless financially.  He also blesses with babies! Psalm 127:3 “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” Do you know what the sad thing is? This, perhaps more than any other blessing, is one that Christians say they'd, "rather not have."  God says, “I want to reward and bless your marriage, by giving you children.”  God’s people say, “We’re going to do all we can, with whatever the world has to offer, to ensure that doesn’t happen.”  God says, “But I have plans for your family. Plans to use you in a mighty way.” God’s people say, “We have our own plans.  Only so many children, spaced only so many years apart. No more, no less.  We can’t handle more than that.”  God doesn’t bless where He will not provide! Don’t you know that He will take care of you? That He will strengthen you? That He will enable you? Proverbs 10:22 “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” Children are not a mixed curse-blessing! It is the world that has caused us to view them that way!  God’s description of a blessed man is one who has a growing family! Psalm 128:3-4 “Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house; thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.”  When Job was being doubly blessed by God, at the end of all his trials, God gave him more children! Job 42:12-13 “So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning . . . He had also seven sons and three daughters.”  Are children a blessing you are currently rejecting?

     God’s special will for us is a path that is blessed!  In Matthew 23:37, the Lord Jesus laments, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” Is there some way that God wishes to bless you, but you aren’t obeying His voice? Isaiah 48:17-18 “. . . I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! Then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.” What tremendous blessing could YOU be missing out on?

     Who is to say that one blessing is greater than someone else’s? ALL blessings from God are heavenly blessings!  There are some whom God desires to bless with more financial security than others . . . There are some whom God desires to bless with more children than others . . . There are some whom God desires to bless with more good health than others . . . But God lovingly desires to bless EACH AND EVERY ONE of His children! Are you a Christian lady who likes to “pick and choose” your own blessings? Or does your heart anxiously desire every single blessing that THE LORD desires to send your way? Please do not reject God’s blessings to you!  May you have a heart that is ready to RECEIVE them! 

Heavenly Parenting - Dinner #56

     I had the joy of experiencing some fellowship with other ladies, this past week, and it never fails – when moms get together, they talk about their children!! SMILE! “Does yours sleep through the night?”. . . “Do you let yours crawl into bed with you?” . . . “Do you give your child Tylenol?” . . . “Mine was walking by the time they were 8 months old!” . . . And on it goes . . . It feels good to share from your own experiences and to gain from the experiences of others, doesn’t it?! How vitally important that we draw wisdom from our HEAVENLY FATHER’S parenting example! As a Christian parent, you are your child’s first glimpse of what GOD is like!  Are you and your husband striving to be like Christ, as you raise your family?

     More than any other quality, God shows His children LOVE. Jeremiah 31:3 “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” No child should be afraid that Mommy and Daddy will love them one day and despise them the next. Does this love sometimes require correction and discipline? Yes.  Proverbs 3:11-12 shows a father saying, “My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” Parents must lovingly correct and chasten, but they must also follow the Heavenly Father’s pattern for FORGIVENESS.  I John 1:9 tells us that, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Once God forgives us, He does not bring up our past wrongs over and over again, and neither should we, with OUR children. True forgiveness is final! Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”

     Our Lord carefully INSTRUCTS His children.  Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go . . .” He doesn’t leave us wondering what we should do, or pondering how to obey Him! James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” As parents, we should be ready with instruction and wise counsel! We should be willing to take the time to teach and to train our children!

     Hourly, daily, yearly, our Heavenly Father PROVIDES for His own.  Matthew 7:11 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” As parents, we must prayerfully work and save, and do our very best, to meet the needs of those in our care.  Matthew 6:26 “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.  Are ye not much better than they?”  Matthew 6:30 “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” God lovingly takes care of each and every one of us!

     Little girls and boys should be able to rest in the fact that their parents will seek to PROTECT them from harm!  Will there be times when your child will fall down and hurt themselves? Will there often be circumstances beyond your control? Yes! But just as our Heavenly Father is there to protect His children, we must strive to be there for our little ones! Psalm 36:7 “How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under  the shadow of thy wings.” Children should know that when they are with Mom and Dad, they are SAFE! Psalm 91:1 “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Do Mommies sometimes have to give up precious sleep during a thunderstorm? Do they often have to put their arms around someone small, when the wind is howling outside? That is what our Lord so often does for us! Psalm 91:5 “Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day.” Time and time again, our Heavenly Father gives us the peaceful reassurance that He will keep us SAFE!

     What should we do when our children are crying? We should do what our Lord would do! Psalm 147:3 “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Mommies need to be ready with hugs, with kisses, and with Band-Aids! That is what Jesus does for our hearts!  Perhaps no other book of the Bible speaks of the COMFORT of God, like the book of Psalms.  In Psalm 57:1-2, David prays, “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.” David knew that he could find shelter in God until the terrors surrounding him were over.  Shouldn’t our babies be able to trust that Mommy and Daddy will have open arms for them, whenever things “go bump in the night”? Whenever they are afraid? I hear a lot of mothers say things like, “They have to learn to comfort themselves to sleep.” To a certain extent, God says to His children, “encourage thyself”, but He also says, “I will not leave you comfortless”!  (I Samuel 30:6 + John 14:18) Aren’t we thankful that God hears us WHENEVER we cry out to Him?! Psalm 55:17 “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”

     You may be saying, “I don’t know how to be a proper parent! Do you have any good books you could recommend?” There is no better book on parenting than the Bible! There is no better example of parenthood than our loving Heavenly Father! Day in and day out, God loves, forgives, instructs, provides, protects, and comforts His children.  May each godly mother and father strive to do the same!

     

The Devil's Desire - Dinner #37

      Both my husband and I were blessed to be raised in Christian homes.  Our parents read God’s Word to us, taught us Bible songs, took us to church, and set our feet on a good path.  God worked in our hearts even as very young children, bringing each of us to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus before we were 10 years old.  But things do not stop with US having that complete peace that we will one day be in heaven with our Savior.  We now have a CHILD who needs to be saved! Psalm 145:4 “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.” It is up to us, as parents, to share the Lord with our baby girl.

     But isn’t she way too young to understand? This past week, I saw my 5-month old smile back at a smiling commercial, and cry during a movie scene where two adults were yelling angrily at each other.  Do children pick up on emotions, even as babies? Yes, they do! They can tell if you are happy or annoyed about going to church.  They can see you nodding your head in agreement, or ignoring the preacher.  They notice if you’re using your hymnal or not even singing the songs. What are you conveying to your children about God?  In Deuteronomy 6:6-7, God tells His people, “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” All day long, we have the opportunity to share Jesus with our little ones!

     As Christians, we must understand how important it is to influence a child for the Lord while they are very young. In Deuteronomy 31:12-13, the Israelites are told to “Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God . . .” The book of the law was being read to instruct even young children in the fear of God.  In the Lord’s eyes, they could not be “too young” to hear the reading of the Scriptures.  They were so little that they “have not known any thing”, but yet it was clear that they needed to hear God’s Word! 

     If we do not tell our children about Jesus, then the devil will step in and tell them about himself.  I Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”  Why should our children be present during movies with screaming and scary images? Why should they be taken through a “haunted house”? Satan wants to win the victory!  Will your babies and young ones hear Bible songs in your home? Will they listen to Bible stories? Or will they grow up gravitating to the creepy and Satanic? Will they enjoy the evil and the bizarre? Isaiah 54:13 declares, “And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.” Are your children being “taught of the Lord”?  Will they grow up having the peace of God?

     These thoughts have very much been on my heart, this past week. A Sunday night sermon on “The Christian Home”, drove it even deeper.  My smiling baby girl has not yet given her heart to God.  Shouldn’t her daddy and I strive to lead her to Him? Shouldn’t that be our highest goal in raising her? Then may the words of God lead our home.  May beautiful Christian music fill our home.  May Christian love surround our home.  And may each of our little ones learn to “love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”

 

Living Life - Dinner #34

     One day, while my husband and I were still dating, Brandon sent me the internet link for a tear-jerking video about a little baby who only lived for 99 days.  The baby’s parents took every opportunity to celebrate that child’s short life, and when he passed away, they released one balloon for every single day that God allowed him to be on this earth with them.  I do not know the religious background of the family involved, but I do know that they blessed the Lord for both giving them their child and then taking their child home to be with Him.  That 6-minute video changed my perspective on life, forever.  We do not know how long God has given us any of our little ones, and every moment we get to spend with them is worth celebrating!  Some people might think it’s silly that Brandon and I sing “Happy Birthday” to our Brooklyn and take photos of her on the 20^th of every month.  Some people might shake their heads when they see every status we post about our little girl on facebook.  The truth of the matter is, we have no way of knowing what day will be the last we get to spend with her!  She may live to be 85 years old . . . She may live until tomorrow . . . Is that a morbid way to look at life? I don’t think so!  It’s the way God INTENDS for His children to look at life – as a vapor – as a gift that is given to us for a time – as something special to be treasured and not taken for granted. 

     Yesterday was cold and wet outside, and Baby and I both seemed to be feeling a little under the weather.  Chores were suddenly put on hold as Mommy declared a “holiday” for sleeping, snuggling, watching TV and reading stories.  Brooklyn and I were bonding with each other, and we both knew it.  Do we often get so busy with the day-to-day stuff, that we forget to just SPEND TIME with the ones we love?! In Psalm 90:12, Moses offers up this prayer to God: “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”  

     We do not know for what length of time God has given to us our children, but in the same way, we do not know how long God has given to us our OWN lives.  Proverbs 27:1 says, “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” If you were to suddenly leave this earth today, would your children remember Bible songs and bedtime stories, or a dust-free home 365 days of the year?  Isaiah 38:19 tells us, “The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.”  What are we doing with the life God has given to us?  What are we seeking to leave behind? Are we praising Him? Are we telling our children about the Lord?

     No one really likes to dwell upon it, but we all need to realize that someday our time will come.  We aren’t going to be alive on this earth forever! In Psalm 39:4, David declares, “LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.” Do we realize how frail WE are? Do we realize that we could die in a car accident, be diagnosed with breast cancer, or suffer a fatal heart attack . . . TOMORROW?  Psalm 144:4 reminds us that, “Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.” We NEED to think on these things!  We NEED to remember that we are “. . . a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.” (Psalm 78:39) We NEED to realize that our children are a gift to us only for a time! We NEED to make sure we aren’t taking our days and our breaths for granted!  James 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” May each of us seek to spend our lives LOVING and LIVING to glorify His Name!

The “99 Balloons” Internet Link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th6Njr-qkq0

Ministering Children - Dinner #14

     Working at daycare this week, I realized once again how very many Bible concepts even preschoolers can grasp.  Matthew 21:16 tells us, “. . . And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, OUT OF THE MOUTH OF BABES AND SUCKLINGS THOU HAST PERFECTED PRAISE?”  Even children can learn to honor the Lord!

     God oftentimes gives us opportunities to share truths about Himself with the Little People in our lives, if we will only take them.  Matthew 19:14 tells us, “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” It is our job to bring them to Jesus!  The other day at work, a preschool girl commented that one of the boys didn’t seem to care whether or not God was watching the bad things he did, and that he probably wouldn’t go to heaven.  “But we know that we don’t go to heaven by doing good things, right?” I asked her. “How DO we know that we’re going to go to heaven?”  And I was able to plant a “little seed” by reminding her that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and that we can only go to heaven by trusting Him as our Savior.  It was a typical afternoon on the playground, but God gave me an opportunity to share.

     Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  And what is this “way” that our children should go?  The way of Christian obedience! “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right . . . THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH THEE, AND THOU MAYEST LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.” (Ephesians 6:1,3)  It does not do your children or pupils any favors if you let them “do their own thing” and don’t give them some training and instruction!  SSSLLLOOWWW obedience and outright disobedience in young ones is SUCH a poor testimony for God!  I’ve worked with children for several years now, and believe me when I tell you the picture is NOT a pretty one!  How much better for them to learn at an early age to live righteously and to serve the Lord!

     Sometimes children can serve where adults cannot find an open door.  Their youth and “cuteness” tugs at people’s hearts and often allows them to be a bolder witness for God.  Even preschoolers can learn to pass out Gospel tracts to neighbors, or retell Bible stories to unsaved relatives.  They can also sing Bible songs for elderly “shut-ins” and people in nursing homes.  “. . . OUT OF THE MOUTH OF BABES AND SUCKLINGS THOU HAST PERFECTED PRAISE . . .” God receives praise when the Little Ones serve Him – PERFECTED praise! 

     Can children really understand what it is to serve the Lord?  The answer is definitely YES!  There is a Christian children’s song that says, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine!” Whether mothers, preschool teachers, Sunday school teachers, or choir leaders, we can play a major role in helping even the very young to shine for Jesus!  For instance, we can encourage them to make cards for sick friends or relatives, bake cookies for someone in need of a smile, color pictures for soldiers overseas, or donate food to a homeless shelter.  The ideas for childhood service are truly endless! 

     Let’s admit it - Children can sometimes be quite selfish in their attitudes and their behavior!  Are we training the young ones in our care to be a blessing to others, instead?  Are we encouraging them to praise and serve the Lord?  Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.”  It is not so important whether your children have every toy or earthly possession they desire in life, as it is whether or not they are building a “good name” for themselves by their childhood actions.  Proverbs 20:11 declares that, “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.” Will we allow the Lord to use us in the lives of children, that they might be known for pure and righteous doings?

Precious Blessings - Dinner #8

     How have you always regarded children?  Do you steer clear of church nursery and children’s ministry assignments?  Are you a young lady who openly declares that you hope you never have a baby?  Or are you a happy mother of three or four? 

     The Lord Jesus Himself loved children!  Mark 10:13,16 “And they brought young children to him . . . And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.”  We also see in His Word that 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 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

     Sometimes I hear young couples going around talking about how they hope they won’t have any children for a long time.  The truth of the matter is, Christian couples should have the strong desire to become parents, for parenthood is a BLESSING from God!  We look down on the Communist countries that limit the amount of children their citizens may have.  It makes us infuriated!  But then, we turn around in our own selfish society, and often regard children as a financial burden and a nuisance!  How have Christians allowed such wrong thinking to influence their minds?  Children are blessings!  Whether they are your own children or children you have the privilege of working with, they are BLESSINGS! 

Luke 1:7, 13-14 “And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. . . But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.  And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.”

     Zacharias prayed to the Lord to give them a child, and God told him that when the baby was born, he would have JOY AND GLADNESS!  This wasn’t something to be upset or financially worried about! Zacharias wasn’t going around in complete distress over how this was going to affect his “retirement plan”!  It was an event that brought rejoicing in the Lord! 

 

Genesis 21:1-2 “And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said . . . For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken unto him.”

I Samuel 2:21 “And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters.  And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.”

     Both of these verses speak of a “visit” from the Lord.  Does that sound like chance or just an unexpected accident to you?!  Something that “just happened”?  Whether or not a child comes as a “surprise” to you, they are no surprise to God!  Each one is truly part of His perfect plan!

Ruth 4:13 “So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.”

     If God has allowed you to have children, you must realize that this is a GIFT from the Lord! He has GIVEN them to you! 

Psalm 113:9 “He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children.  Praise ye the LORD.”

     Becoming a mother is a joyful, happy thing!  It hurts my heart when I hear Christian ladies jokingly say of one of their children, “We weren’t planning on that one.”  What message does that send to the child?  That you didn’t really want them at first, but now you guess you’re glad that God had other plans?  Why wasn’t your heart in the right place to begin with?!  No baby in a Christian home should ever be regarded as “unwanted at this time”! There are some women in the world today who are on their knees, weeping before God, because they want a baby!  If the Lord has opened your womb and given you children, don’t take that blessing from the Lord lightly, even if you feel it is not in “your timing”! That visit from Him is in HIS timing!    

     Genesis 33:5 “And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.”

     If you decide that you want nothing to do with children, what numerous blessings are you denying yourself?  What untold blessings are you denying the world?  Once, when I was attending a teaching convention, the head speaker for the preschool department used the second half of this verse to remind us that the children in our classroom were also blessings from the Lord.  She declared that each year of teaching, even the more difficult students to reach, were children “which God hath graciously given”.  That verse stuck with me more than anything else said in that conference, and was an encouraging reminder on many occasions. 

Psalm 78:4 “We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.”

     There needs to be a “next generation” so that we can pass onto them the praises of our God!  They need to hear the truth of God’s Word!  Who are the children that God has placed in YOUR care?  Are they your own?  Are they school students, or boys and girls you’re reaching through a church ministry? Whether a mother, a wife, or a ministry worker, it is important to have a right view of children.  Each and every one is truly a precious blessing from the Lord!