My daughter, Gabby, is 29 months old today. Since giving birth to her, I view God in a whole new way. I now understand more my relationship to him through her. I am blessed to hear her voice in the morning whether complaining or smiling, one of the first sounds to greet me when I wake—and through the day and at night. As I take walks with her treading at my side, the feel of her little hands as she struggles to remove them from my grasp, never ending rambling of her lips, and bright eyes are definitely the sunshine of my life. I do not know how to express the love except to say I'm silenced, but God is strengthened in my heart. Me whom so unworthily have been blessed with much, realize my first relationship is to Him.There are days when being a mother makes me vulnerable and I struggle to balance emotionally and spiritually: Gabby throws tantrums, squeals because she does not get what she wants, and sings at the top of her lungs when we are in a store because she is ready to leave. In some of these occurrences, I find myself more aware of the doctrines of grace: because I am simultaneously absorbing how to demonstrate love and justice. Love.....(I'm still learning), even when written about does not truly define its essence. Love comes from a store laid up in the heart that emanates from God. It means truly understanding the love He has shown me by giving Jesus as a sacrifice. In place of justice, God demonstrated the superiority of his power through love. Through this love I now have life. God offers me hope, renewal, and transformation; and no matter how I stumble and persist in my stubborn fortitude He still beckons me unto life: never ceasing to assure me, uplift me, if I will turn to him and put my trust in Him.
Because of this, fixed before me is the constant knowledge of duty to guide my daughter's soul on the right path to God. As His Spirit guides me with clear precepts and assurances from his word; what resonates with me is to endure, to hope, and above all to love–––allowing my faith to increase in strength while striving for the finish line.
This really resonates with me. I am really learning that being a mother is all about showing God's character to our children through love and justice. How I do that changes through the stages as they move toward maturity. I cannot do it well without the Spirit's guidance!
ReplyDeleteGOD IS LOVE, SO IF WE DO NOT KNOW HIS LOVE, WE CANNOT TRULY LOVE OTHERS, EVEN OUR OWN CHILDREN. KNOWING THE LOVE OF GOD HELPS US THROUGH ALL THINGS, EVEN IN CHILD REARING, WHICH SEEMS TO BE SO MUCH MORE DIFFICULT THESE DAYS. WE NEED GOD'S PROTECTION OVER OUR CHILDREN AND I AM SO GLAD I KNOW JESUS!
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