“I thank God . . .
when I call to remembrance
the genuine faith
that is in you, which dwelt
first in your
grandmother Lois and your mother
Eunice, and I am
persuaded is in you also.”
2 Timothy 1:3, 5
(NKJV)
Children are a blessing from God
and as Christians, we have a special responsibility in raising them. Mothers
(as well as fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) play an important role
in helping to "bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."
(Eph. 6:4, NKJV)
I think we’d all like to know that
our children are walking with the Lord, but that doesn't come just
by virtue of having a Christian upbringing. This is a personal decision
that everyone needs to make for themselves. Our children have free will
and they have to choose to accept Christ or not. However, we do have some
important tools that we can use to have a positive influence on our children:
Power of our words: The words we use have great power---to build
up or tear down, to encourage or to dishearten others. At times, we all say things rashly or idly
that we wish we could take back, but once said, they can’t be retracted.
However, we can apologize and that is a wonderful teachable moment for our
children.
Power of our prayers: Committing our children to the Lord in prayer
on a daily basis is one of the most important things we can do. Interceding on behalf of them, entrusting our
petitions for them to God is powerful.
And letting our children know that we pray for them is also a way to
strengthen them and help them realize the importance of prayer.
Power of our walk: How we act is just as important as what we
say, and of course, we should strive for consistency between the two.
Demonstrating grace, mercy, forgiveness, charity, obedience, etc. to our
children speaks volumes. And we should not be afraid to admit when we make
mistakes, to show how we get back on track with God and our Christian walk.
I want to wish a special Mother’s Day blessing on all the
mothers here and encourage you to leave a legacy of faith with your children. Keep
praying that they will "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen." (2
Peter 3:18, NKJV)