As parents, we would do anything in the world for our children. It hurts us when they hurt, and it’s easy to become angry or defensive when we feel they have been wronged. This is where we really have to learn to trust the Father and remember that not only is He their God too, but He also loves them more than we do.
I wanted to write today to encourage parents. I know this is an area that the Father has really been helping me to grow in faith and as a parent. When my oldest son was in 5th grade, he had a teacher that was obviously treating him unjustly. I do believe that at the beginning he had done something that needed correction, but then I would even get phone calls where she would admittedly say well, “I don’t know if it was him.” The Momma Bear in me was ready to come out for sure, but Holy Spirit stopped me. He told me to use the circumstances as a chance to teach him. I remember telling my son that I truly believed that God was trying to teach him to be humble. One of the powerful things Holy Spirit brought up at that time was to tell him that while we couldn’t control the actions of others, but we could control our reactions. As much as I wanted to pull him from the class, I’m thankful now that I didn’t as it was also a lesson of patience and endurance for him. More precious to me was that I was able to pray with my son as he received salvation the next year. Was that process part of what led up to that? I can’t say for sure, but I know I had tears in my eyes as the thought came up to me this morning. Even this morning, this same son forgot his badge for school and was writing me afraid he was going to get a D-Hall for it. My mom heart hurt because there was no way to beat the clock to get it there in time, and it is the first-time he has ever forgotten it. I know Holy Spirit had me pray once again and I just asked for the Father to show Him mercy and favor. Well, I did call the school, just being honest, to see if I could bring it and to voice that I thought it was unreasonable for a first-time offense. I know Holy Spirit was keeping me calm on the phone, and really, it turned into another learning, growing moment for mom too. Come to find out, he hadn’t been sent to the office, but had some how managed to buy another one. To my knowledge, he didn’t go to school with any money. I teared up again, as the love of my Father not only for me, but for my children over whelmed me. He had answered my prayer for mercy for my son. To be honest again, it was just last week that my son had messed up at school and deservedly gotten a D-hall in which Daddy and I had a long conversation with him about becoming a man, taking responsibility, and the consequences for our actions.
Why did I write to tell you all those stories? I know in my heart that the last thing I ever want to do is hinder my children from growing in or closer to the Father. As parents, we have to remember that our children have their own processes to go through. Just as the Father knows our hearts and minds, He knows theirs as well. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that while they are our children, they first belong to Him. We need to be there to cover our children, pray for them, and protect them from the things they may not be able to see coming their way. We can’t be guilty of smothering them and hinder their growth by trying to keep them from ever going through things. Our Father allows us to go through things in order to produce healing, deliverance, growth, faith, endurance and ultimately salvation. As His children we have learned to trust His plan, process, and purpose for our lives; let’s make sure we are also teaching our own children to do the same.
Jeremiah 29:11 Amplified
For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the LORD, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
