This is the third of three posts about God’s
plan for Motherhood. To catch up, please read Part 1 and Part 2.
“Mother
means selfless devotion, limitless sacrifice, and love that passes
understanding.”
Previously,
I wrote that Motherhood is a gift from God in which we GET to participate with
Him in the creation of life. The over-arching responsibility of Motherhood is
for Moms to be imitators of Christ in all aspects of parenting. This has the
most eternal effect on our children. It
is easy to pray for and love our children when they are young, but parenting
takes on difficult challenges when those children reach the age when they begin
thinking for themselves, being influenced by the culture we live in, and making
decisions to live contrary to what we’ve taught and believe is honoring to God.
However, the words of 1 Corinthians 13 rings so very true in those tough times:
Love is patient and kind; it does not
demand its own way; it keeps no record of being wronged; it never gives up,
never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
(vv 4-7 NLT)
Yes,
indeed, Motherhood is God’s gift to us! But in this last reflection, I want to
propose the idea that Motherhood is OUR gift to our children. Let’s think
about that for a few minutes.
Motherhood’s gift to our
children
What
do you do with a treasured gift? If you are like me, you do something special
with it or put it in a special place of honor. Your children are the most
special gift you will ever receive, so how do we reciprocate that kind of gift?
By honoring them. The most honoring thing you can do for your children is to
pray for them fervently just as Jesus prayed for His disciples and
for future believers (that’s us!) in John 17:6-24. He prayed that they and us would grow and mature
spiritually and be protected from the evil one.
If we are going to be imitators of Christ, we must
also pray that our children/grandchildren find salvation, grow spiritually
mature, and be protected from the devil who prowls about like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
We
never stop parenting, and we should never stop praying fervently for our children.
Eph. 6 tells us that the most powerful offensive weapon we
have is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Put those two things
together, and you have the same power that breathed life into existence. Praying the
Word of God.
So
whatever phase of life your children are in, from living a life pleasing to the
Father, or living a life trying to ride the spiritual fence, or living in
outright rebellion to God’s plan, praying scripture over them is unleashing the very power of Creation!
For
spiritual grow and maturity, pray Philippians 1:9-11:
And this I pray, that (child’s
name) love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all
discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to
be sincere and blameless until the day Christ returns.
For protection from the evil one and for restoration, pray the
Armor of God on your child/grandchild.
Father,
let _____________
be strong in You, and in the strength of Your might. Put on her/him the full armor of God that she/he may be able to stand
firm against the schemes of the devil. Lord, hold her/him tight with the belt of Truth. You are the Truth; help _______ to hold
fast to you and not be afraid. Dress her/him with the breastplate
of righteousness – search her/his heart, protect her/his heart, and fill
it heart with right motives and emotions. Place on her/him the shoes of the gospel of peace. Where ever she/he goes,
let her/him go in the spirit of peace and be ready to share Your salvation with
those she/he meets. Place in her/his hands the shield
of faith that it might deflect the flaming missiles of the evil one.
Through faith, let her/him carry out Your purpose and claim the victory that
You have already won. And Father, put on _________the helmet
of salvation. Remind her/him who she/he belongs to and not let her/him
listen to the whispers of Satan. Protect her/his mind from falsehoods and
self-defeating thoughts. Transform her/his mind into the mind of Christ as she/he
goes about daily life. Finally, Father, let her/him carry the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Bring
to mind the verses needed for comfort, courage, and battle against Satan.
Let her/him remember Your word and claim it as she/he faces the temptations of
Satan. Your word says that You have given Your angels
charge concerning her/him, to guard and protect in all ways. Thank You
for building a hedge of protection around her/him. Finally, I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that You are
able to guard what I have entrusted to You until that day when you return.
I entrust _______________ to You.
Eph. 6:10-20; Ps. 91:11; 2 Tim. 1:12
Yes,
Motherhood is a gift – one that can and will fill our hearts to the bursting
point one minute, and will hurt our hearts to the breaking point the next.
Our
children are God’s best gift to us. As moms we have a special purpose in God’s
plan for this world. And as moms, we have a tremendous responsibility to train
our children when they are young and continue to pray for them until we die. Let it be said that the best gift you ever
gave your children was a mom who prayed, prays and will be praying fervently
for them until your last breath.
“Mother means
selfless devotion (to prayer), limitless sacrifice (praying at all times), and
love that passes understanding (prayer will bring understanding to both).”
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