These children aren’t mine!

These children aren’t mine!

What?

I thought you had 7 children?     Well,  I do….but something I heard probably a hundred times and I’m sure you have too is, “Your children belong to the Lord”.

You know, I’ve probably said it a hundred times myself and have read articles relating to this same topic.  But it wasn’t until Sunday morning as I woke up and I was holding my youngest (she’s the most cuddliest right now) and meditating on the day, I was truly impressed that  These Children are NOT mine!

Yes, they are my biological children but ultimately they are God’s!  God has given them to us to raise for Him.

Just about 2 years we raised a Seeing Eye Dog (Kristoff)  for Guiding Eyes for the Blind and we had him in our family for a year and a half.  We had the responsibility  to raise and train him for the job to one day lead a blind person in their daily life.  I would tell myself often that he is NOT our dog, we just have him for a little while.  (This was my way of not getting too attached to him) It was a lot of work, time and effort on all of our parts to finally get him to the end of graduation.  (He now lives in Los Vegas with a gentlemen and his family.

Kristoff and the kids right before he left our home

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kristoff with Greg at his graduation

 

But just as Kristoff was given to us for a time being to raise, train, and guide we are given only a certain amount of time to train, nurture and point our children towards Christ.

That is a huge responsibility as you know.  These precious gifts were part of God’s plan and God has a purpose and plan for their lives.  Just as Kristoff’s purpose and goal was to eventually be a guide for a blind person, our children have a plan and purpose specifically for them.

It’s our job as moms to learn to have an “open hand” with our kids.   Realize  just as I did with our guide dog we only have him for a short time, and we only have our children for a short time to make an impact for eternity.

“If we hold tightly to anything given to us unwilling to allow it to be used as the Giver means it to be used we stunt the growth of the soul. What God gives us is not necessarily “ours” but only ours to offer back to him, ours to relinguish, ours to lose, ours to let go of, if we want to be our true selves. Many deaths must go into reaching our maturity in Christ, many letting goes.”  ― Elisabeth Elliot

We need to be planting seeds of God’s truth, instilling Godly character, and helping them to learn to have a heart and passion for God.  This takes purposeful parenting on our parts as moms!

I know as a mom we all have things that we “wish” for our children to do when they get older, but we need to realize that God already has a plan in store for them.  He has created them for a specific task.  It’s our job to help guide and steer them towards finding out what God’s will is for their lives.

Here are a few things to consider:

• Pray for your children daily. 
• Saturate them in the Word of God.
• Disciple them daily.
• Point them to Christ in every situation.
• Learn to have an “open hand” mind set with your children.
• Cherish each moment with them.
• Help guide them towards what God wants them to do.

All in all, I did give birth 7 times!  I do have 7 children given to me by God. (#8 coming soon) But knowing in my heart that these precious gifts are REALLY God’s…..I’m just the one responsible to point them to Him, raise and train for His honor and glory….not mine!

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Here is a awesome song by Steven Curtis Chapman called “Yours”