5/17/2024
Your Children Will Hate YouMany years ago my husband and I were told that we were too hard on our kids. That they would grow up hating us, move far away and we would never see them again.
The words hurt my heart. This wasn’t the picture I wanted the world to see. I wanted others to see the deep love I had for my children. The decisions we made, and the prayers we prayed were a result of that love. At times I wondered if the hurtful words might be true. Did we make the right decisions? It would be many years before proof of that love, and its fruit was made evident. Prayers were answered. I was only 29 years old when my husband became pastor here. We were just kids, with four kids of our own. That was 29 years ago. It’s hard for me to believe that I have been a pastor’s wife for half my life. For 29 years I have lived in this same town. I have lived in the same house and raised all my children here. And now I am watching them as they raise their children here. Yes, here. Yes, all four of my children went far away to college and got married, but they all ended up moving back to our area. They all came home. 29 years ago, we had ideas and dreams. Dreams for our church and dreams for our children. One night we wrote those dreams down in a little notebook. It wasn’t always easy, in fact I am here to tell you, ministry is hard. Raising kids is hard. But every one of those dreams has since been fulfilled. And we couldn’t have done it without Jesus. Jesus is the author of every good gift that has been bestowed on our little ministry here. And Jesus is the author of every beautiful trait my children possess. Not me. Not my husband. Only Jesus. Back then my dreams for my children weren’t money and fame. Back then my main goal for each one of my children was for them to truly know the Lord. That they wouldn’t get lost in the ministry and become a PK (pastor’s kid) casualty, that Jesus wouldn’t just be a religion or a way of life, but that He would be their very best Friend. That they would have a bond of love that would navigate them through any thing this world threw at them. I knew that as long as they had that, everything God wanted for them would fall into place. Each year held its challenges. From the sleepless nights of a newborn to the sleepless nights of worry over where my children were, or what they were doing. There was laughter, so much laughter, but there were also tears. And there was prayer. So much prayer. Prayers through the happy and the heartbreaking. Prayers for their salvation. Prayers for their friendships. Prayers for their crushes. Prayers for attitudes and rebellion. Prayers for their future. Prayers for their now. 29 years ago, my kids were only 8, 6, 4 and 2 years old. Today they are all involved in God’s ministry and one of them~ that 6 year old, blonde haired, blue eyed, happy go lucky girl with a speech problem and a heart for others will be speaking at our church’s 25th ladies banquet this Saturday. A banquet that was added to that notebook of ideas and dreams so many years ago. This is not a reflection on me. This is all Jesus. I am here to tell you mama that you can’t ever, ever stop praying. There are probably thousands of books that offer advice on raising children, but all of it is irrelevant if you are not praying for them. When it feels happy, pray. When it feels hopeless, pray. When it feels hard., pray. When the world tells you that your kids will grow up hating you, keep praying. No matter how far away from the Lord your children may be, they will always remember your prayers. God is faithful. I probably got so much wrong. I am still a work in progress as a mother. I don’t have all the answers. Just this one. Pray. Despite what others said many years ago and our own shortcomings as parents, my prayer continues to be that Jesus will always mean everything to my kids. That they will love Him with their everything and that He will be their very best Friend. And in the process, my children have all become my best friends. That’s what Jesus can do. That’s what Jesus will do. Hold on to that hope mama. And never stop praying. SCRIPTURE READING: Philippians 3:3, Philippians 4:6, Hebrews 12:1-2, James 1:5, 17, Deuteronomy 5:29, Deuteronomy 6:2, 6-7, Deuteronomy 11:18-19, Psalm 103:13-14, Proverbs 22:6, Isaiah 54:13, Proverbs 1:8-9, Colossians 1:9-14, 1 John 5:14, Romans 12:12, Philippians 1:6, Ephesians 1:12, Hebrews 4:16 |
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