My family was extremely dysfunctional growing up. There were times when I wondered whether my parents truly loved me. I know that my dad (no matter how damaged he and our relationship were) did love me. Unfortunately, my mom suffered from mental illness and I am not sure that she was capable of love. So, I tried to make sure that my children knew that I loved them. I told them them, over and over and over. I regret that I did make mistakes along the way that caused them to question my love though. We all say that we love our children and how incredibly important they are to us. Yet sometimes our actions say something to the contrary. If we look closely at our actions we might wonder “how much do we really love our children?”. Do we love them enough to share the truth?
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 1:4.
Some people say, I love my children so much that I never miss there sporting event, gymnastics performance, theater performance, whatever the activity du jour (of the day) is. And I celebrate their victories and successes with them. Other people feel that the magnitude of their love is demonstrated by how much time they spend with their children. To others it is the amount of material things that they provide to their them that they feel is an indicator of how much they love their children.
When we look at the best parent in all of man’s history (The God of Heaven and Earth our very own Abba, our spiritual “Daddy”), we see that a loving parent does celebrate over their children. “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; and he will exult over you with loud singing” Zephaniah 3:17.
God also shows us that a loving parent is ever present. “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8.
We also see that a loving parent does provide. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”. Matthew 6:25-26.
What He does that we seem to lack is that He makes our eternal lives PARAMOUNT! Our eternal lives are the most important thing to Him. He is with us, celebrates us and provides for us in this earthly life. But, His desire is to be with our children (and with us…His children, if we are followers of Jesus Christ) in a way that we can not be for our own children.
If your mind went to all the things that you do for your children and if you are justifying your parenting in your mind, i.e., I take them to church, I read with them about God, I am a good parent, you may want to re-examine. You may want to look at what you are not providing, not what you are.
Prior to knowing Jesus as my personal Savior, I was not a good person and I wasn’t even a good mom. I provided, I loved and tried to be there for them, but I was lacking. Yet, when we started going to church, it was because I knew that there was a Heaven. Deep in my heart I knew it. I also knew that even though I thought I couldn’t be there with them, I wanted my children to go there when they died. Even as a sinner, I was doing what ever I could to make sure my children were in Heaven with God when they died. I praise God that He began to work in my heart back then so that I would desire that for them. Is that paramount to you? Is it something that you are actively pursuing for your children?
God offers so much more than just access to Heaven for our children (and us) when we trust Him as Lord of our lives. He can go with our children no matter where they go, places that we cannot even reach. He can be with them in their desperation, when we have no answers for them. And, He can be there in the darkness when we don’t even know where they are. God can provide for them when we have nothing left to give. And He will be there for them….long after we are gone.
The question is how much do we really love our children?
Do we love them enough to take and sometimes even make them go to church? Or do we want to be the fun parent who does kid friendly things on Sunday? Do we love them enough to demonstrate to them how important it is to be in church every Sunday? Or are we teaching them that family get togethers and extracurricular activities are more important. And do we love them enough to teach them to love God, even more than they love us? Because He loves them more than we do. Or do we like being on the throne of an idol in their lives? Do we love how much they look up to us so much that we don’t want them to look up to anyone else more, even God?
Are you fooling your self into thinking that they are so little that there is still plenty of time to teach them?
I PROMISE you that the clock is ticking. I PROMISE you that your time is dwindling. And, I PROMISE you that if you don’t start doing these things right now, you will regret it. Because I also PROMISE you that the enemy already has them in his cross hairs. If you are not already doing these things, consider that fact all the proof that you need. Consider it proof that the enemy is already at work in your home and is winning the battle for their precious souls.
So, I ask again…how much do we really love our children? Enough to teach them the greatest command? “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38. Enough to go to battle? Enough to fight the enemy for their eternal souls? Because a war is raging.
1 Peter 5:8 says “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”. He has his sights set on our little ones, don’t be deceived into thinking he will wait until they are older. He is no gentleman. And, please read this verse the way it was intended. The enemy is lurking in the shadows of our homes, their schools, their friends houses, on the television, and on their (our) phones and tablets, etc. And he is seeking someone to devour. What does it look like when a lion devours someone? The lion takes it’s victim by surprise. And the rest is shocking, gruesome, painful, torturous and ultimately results in death. But in this instance it is an eternal death.
Mom and Dad….armor up! Get in the word and teach it to them. “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” Deuteronomy 6:6-7.
God chose you for those children. Are you going to protect them and arm them for the war that is raging? Or, are you going to sit back and pretend there is no intruder? Their future and eternal lives are depending on you.
Father God, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your warnings. And we thank you so much for our children. Father protect them. Holy Spirit arm us to wage war for those precious little souls. And, help us to arm them! Lord Jesus, we praise you for your sacrifice and we thank you that your love and desire was to spend eternity with us and our children. Equip us to equip them Lord! We love you and pray these things in your precious and holy name Jesus.
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, please go to our Life Preserver page (https://Forgiven-N-Loved.com/Life-preserver/). Once you are there, please pray the prayer that is outlined there. The enemy is waging war for your soul as well and the only way to defeat him is through a prayer like the one outlined on that page. Please pray and once you do, reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com. I would love to be in prayer for you and to help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.
Luv Ya!
