So What?

Megan Breedlove April 23, 2012 0 Comments

I recently saw a commercial that made me cry. It starts with mothers all over the world waking up their children to get them started on the day. Then, it goes back and shows those same moms sending their children off to wherever they’re going by bus, train, etc. Next, it shows those same children practicing at their sports lessons—gymnastics, swimming, track. Finally—well, I won’t tell you. I don’t want to spoil the ending. I ask you to watch the video for yourself, then read the rest of this devotional. (If you tend to get emotional, you might want to have Kleenex ready.)

What a marvelous validation of what we do as moms. What a beautiful affirmation that all those unglamorous, routine tasks that we do day in and day out matter.

The point of this commercial is that the incalculable investment a mom makes in her child will one day result in that child being able to “run the race” at the highest level. That’s the point of this devotional, too, though in a slightly different way.

You and I are also preparing our children to run a race. Most of our children will never be Olympic contenders in anything, but they still have a chance to succeed in a way that no one else in the world can.

You see, God has a very specific race in mind that He wants your child to run. He has the course all mapped out. He knows every step along the way and exactly what it will take to make it to the finish line. He also knows that our children will need to train for the race. You don’t race well, by accident. You have to be purposeful about it. And part of God’s plan for training our children is to give them us as parents.

That’s one of the most awesome things about parenting: I am part of God’s plan for training my children to live the life He has in mind for them. You are part of God’s plan for your children. It’s awesome, yet scary at the same time. That’s because our children are always learning from us, whether we intend to be teaching them or not. Everything we do is training them how to run the course of their life. We are either training them to run well or run poorly (or maybe mediocre-ly).

I’m not trying to put pressure on you and me to be perfect. There’s no way we can do that. Yes, we need to parent as well as we can, but God can use even our mistakes to shape our children’s lives. The point I want to make is not that we must be faultless, but that everything we do in our attempts to rear our children—even the small, seemingly insignificant tasks—has dignity and worth.

It’s easy for us moms to get caught up in Satan’s lies that anyone could do what we’re doing for our children, or that what we’re doing really doesn’t matter. But if in fact we are training warriors for God’s kingdom, what we do matters immensely!

Ask any Olympic athlete if his mom’s thankless task of driving him to practice every day mattered in his life. Ask any athlete if her mother’s willingness to sacrifice her own desires in order to have money to fulfill her daughter’s dreams mattered in her life.

Someday, your children will look back on their childhood and realize that every PBJ sandwich you made was important. They’ll appreciate the fact that without your willingness to change diapers, they wouldn’t be the young man or woman they are today. They’ll understand some of the sacrifices you made so that they could feel secure and loved. And more than merely remembering all these things, they’ll be grateful.

So hang in there when it seems that all you do is wipe up sticky messes and remind your children to put their dirty clothes in the hamper, just like you’ve reminded them a thousand times before. You’re doing far more than merely teaching your children to keep a clean house or learn their multiplication tables. You’re helping train them to become the people God intends for them to be and to live the life God designed for them to lead. One day they’ll win their race, and you’ll know that part of the reason they won was because of you.

What could matter more than that?

Proverbs 4:10-12—Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble.

Growing, Growing, Gone

Megan Breedlove April 16, 2012 0 Comments

Recently, my oldest child, Ellie, turned 9. It’s been 9 years (plus a few days now) since I held my firstborn in my arms and embarked on this incredible, intense, crazy journey called motherhood. 9 years that seem like a mere week.

And if she’s 9, that means she’s halfway to leaving home and going to college (at least, if that’s the life track God has for her). I’ve already had half of the time I will have with her before she’s an adult.

That thought causes me to rejoice and breaks my heart at the same time. Sure, I want her to grow and develop as God meant her to and to have the life experiences He designed for her to experience. But I’m going to miss her when she’s not here every day. What will I do without my precious Ellie a constant, joyful, delightful presence in my life?

Okay, so maybe it’s too soon to start worrying about that. I’ll have plenty of time as she gets even closer to 18 to contemplate those things. But it’s not too soon to start wondering how well I’ve prepared her for life on her own and to make sure I’m doing the best job I can. In fact, it’s time right now, and has always been time. I don’t want her to turn 18 before I wake up to the fact that I need to be teaching her how to pray, how to love, how to defend herself, how to manage her money, how to deal with loneliness, how to serve others. I want to start well in advance of the time she will close the door to her dorm room and my husband and I will turn around and walk back down the hall and outside to our car.

I need to be proactive now. I need to parent with a purpose so that I give her not only the best possible start in life but also the greatest chance to become the person God meant for her to be.

In other words, I need to parent her like God parents me.

God has had a plan for my life since before the creation of the world. He has known exactly who He wants me to be and how He intends for me to get there. He knows the lessons I will need to learn and the skills I will need to acquire as well as the people with whom I will need to come in contact. He’s got it all worked out. All I have to do is cooperate with Him, and everything will work out the way He wants it to.

I find that amazing. God knows perfectly well what He is doing and is infinitely capable of arranging the exact circumstances and details that will bring His plans to fruition. And He can do so not only for me, but for all of His children, whereas I don’t know perfectly what I’m doing with even one of my kids. Better yet, He not only can, but will. He’s got everything under control, and I can trust Him for that, even when I don’t know what He’s doing.

Until I reach heaven, God will constantly be molding me into the person He wants me to be. I want to help shape Ellie in the same way. I want to be purposeful about the things I teach her and the ways I show my love. When she leaves home, I want her to be ready. I want to have done everything God wanted me to do for her.

That means I need to get wisdom from the best Parent there is, who fortunately is my Father. I need to stay in constant contact with Him, seeking His advice and carrying out His designs. He knows how I should parent Ellie far better than I do. And the beauty of the way it all works out is this: As I stay close to Him in seeking to parent my child, He will be better able to parent me. And that’s part of His design for both of us.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7—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.

Psalm 25:5—Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.