Motherhood...

“I am the woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord.  I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.”

1 Samuel 1:26-28

 

That passage from the book of 1 Samuel speaks a great deal of reality to me.  If you read the whole chapter it gives details of a man (Elkanah) who has two wives; Peninnah (who had children) and Hannah (who did not).  Hannah was so distraught about not having children and Peninnah made the situation worse by taunting her because the Lord kept her from having children.  After putting up with the humiliation of not baring a child for Elkanah for so many years Hannah, desperate to bare a son, “bitterly” prays to the Lord for a child and vows that if He would give her a son that she will in return give him back to the Lord.  “He will be yours for his entire lifetime,” she pleas. 

 Though my circumstances were quite different, I went many years trying to bear a child.  I was surrounded by family members and friends and friends of friends who had no problem when it came to fertility.  I felt like I was being punished.  It was only when I gave up and I felt like my life could not get any worse that God finally blessed my husband and me with a child.  This is where my journey with the Lord began. 

Even though I was raised in a loving home, my childhood was missing something very important.  It was not centered on Jesus Christ or the Lord.  We went to church occasionally, especially on holidays; we owned a Bible; I knew the “important” bible stories (The creation, Noah’s Arch, Birth of Christ, Resurrection, and so on); but I actually did not form a relationship with God and was never told that I should.  When I was a young girl, I use to pray to God and ask him for forgiveness and I told Him that I accepted him, I wanted to be saved and I wanted my family to be saved so that we could all be in Heaven together someday.  But I had NO IDEA what all that really meant!!

 I thank God everyday for blessing me with my son Christian.  He is like I have said before, my saving Grace!  I am so thankful for the relationship that I have formed with God and of all knowledge that has accompanied that relationship.  I am grateful that Christian will be raised in a God centered home and that he is surrounded by people and influences that will teach him how to be Jesus like and live a life filled with love for God, Jesus, himself, his friends, family and even complete strangers.  My goal as a mother is to not shield him from all the negativity in the world but understand that through Christ he will overcome all the trials and tribulations that the devil will place in his way and that if he gives his life and trust in the Lord He will prevail.  I have learned that by releasing him into God’s hands his life will be holy.

 

I pray for Christian every day, that he will follow the way of our Lord and I know that he will only do this if WE lead by example.  So I would like to thank the people in my life who have helped me to be the Christian woman that I am today, and who will assist me in continuing to seek God every single day of my life here on Earth.  I would also like to take the time to thank all the role models that God has sent into Christian’s life through our family, our friends and our church family that will persistently guide Christian to be a man of God.  I could not be a happier mother knowing that he is so blessed!

 On a closing note; Our Pastor’s beautiful wife Jessica, recently hosted a play date and her, along with several of the other parents who attended, came up with this in depth list of ways that we can pray for and with our children on a daily basis.  So I ask of you that you utilize this list for ALL OF THE CHILDREN IN OUR LIVES!

 1. In the morning pray before the kids wake up (for peace and a joyful heart)

2. At mealtime (bless the food)
3. Thankfulness for friends and family
4. Pray over their mind that they would enjoy learning
5. Pray for forgiveness for hurt feelings and bad choices
6. Prayer for healing of knees and elbows and all other bumps and bruises.
7. Prayer for safety when driving in a car.
8. Prayer for good dreams and sound sleep when taking a nap
9. Pray scriptures with kids.
10. Pray during worship time that they connect to Jesus.

 

Luke 18:16 Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.