Our Children Are Watching
Last week I got to visit Rebekah. I enjoyed doing normal things again for her: cooking and baking her favorite foods, shopping and talking, giving her an up-do for her violin concert, talking to her friends, sitting in on some of her music rehearsals and watching her missions team preparation class. It was so wonderful to just be there with her.
I also got to watch her from a distance interacting with friends and dealing with stress. It was a little (okay, a lot) strange to be on the sidelines in a way. We mothers like to be all involved, you know. 😉
Want to know one of the biggest blessings of my week?
It was a little thing. This is what I found when I went into her bedroom and looked under her bunk bed. This is what she sees while she rests:
This thrills my heart.
She is not perfect and neither am I, but she is going to the right places for help and strength.
Moms, we cannot raise young women of the Word if we are not women of the Word. We need to model this for our children.
Our children learn from us.
When times get tough, when things go wrong, when we fail, when people fail us, when we are desperate or depressed, discouraged or afraid we go to God and his Word.
Here are the alternatives:
Instead of going to God, we vent to a friend on the phone, take matters into our own hands, cover our sins, make excuses, go to the fridge or on a shopping spree, give in to anger or bitterness or complaining.
When we run to false gods in our trouble, our children see.
That is why it is imperative to be in the Word and growing. You don’t have to be super Christian all at once. You just have to be walking in the right path. One step at a time. One decision at a time. One choice at a time.
Our children are watching.
You don’t know how much I needed this kick in the pants 🙂 I’ve been going through a challenging time with mysterious health issues and find myself more on the grumpy end of things rather than on the grateful end! Thank you for your encouragement! But a quick question – how do we deal with a wide range of emotions that can easily plague moms going through trials knowing that our kids are watching? Meaning, do we tell them we’re feeling tired, angry, anxious, upset, etc. and will ask God for help? Do we step away to the bathroom to breath and cry if needed? 🙂 How much of our vulnerability and weakness should our children see? Thank you!
PS – I love the verses your daughter has on cards and sticky notes! Psalm 73:25-28 has been a stronghold for me lately!
Yes, I think it is okay to tell them that you are tired, grumpy, etc…I don’t think you need to hide it all. When I am upset or worried, I will tell my kids if they ask. But, then I will ask them to pray for me. Or, when I am not myself, like during PMS, I will tell them to pray for me, that I won’t allow my flesh to win. Then, when they are upset or angry, etc…we ask God to help us. LOVE Psalm 73! 🙂 Praying for you, Kim. Sickness is never fun. And when you aren’t feeling well, it is especially hard to do what you want to do.
Thank you again 🙂 and thank you for your prayers! My son, who is 6, knows I haven’t been feeling well and he asked this morning how I was doing. It was really sweet of him to ask 🙂