About a year and a half after I was saved, I was returning home from church one Sunday, when I got blind-sided by the Holy Spirit. I walked into the house and saw my kids there doing what they do best - just being kids! What happened next blew my mind. For the first time in my life, as I looked at my kids, I saw me and their mom! I saw our personalities mixed in with our kids’ behaviors! The way we handle things, the way we talk, the way we respond to each other. This about dropped me in my tracks.
Even though their mother and I aren’t bad people, neither of us had lived a life in Jesus. Both of us lived life the only way we knew how. We did what we thought was the right thing to do, based upon what we had learned in our lifetimes. It scared me nearly to death, thinking that our kids had taken on our thinking, both the good and the bad! I see now, even the good was not close to God’s best. The bad, well, we all have issues right?
I was taken back so much by this, that I prayed relentlessly for well over a month for the Lord to show me how to fix my kids. I didn’t want them to go through the stuff I had to!! Seeing me in them just about took the breath out of me, since I knew how “well” all that had worked for me!
After more than a month of praying, I was sitting in my recliner when the Lord answered my prayers. What I got was this: “Give them to me; let me fix you. You lead by example; and they will come.” A great deal of peace came with that message, though I wasn’t sure how to do what was asked of me. I know now that God was asking me to be the right example for them to follow. I didn’t know before seeing us in them, that I was an example all along. I was too selfish to see that.
Fast forward three years. I’m not sure how this scripture came up, but I found Psalms 51:10-13 and realized it aligned with the message I had received in response to those prayers.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways so that sinners will turn back to you.
It never ceases to amaze me how I get what I believe is inspiration from the Lord, and then later get a scripture to back up the word I was given.
With the understanding that the Lord does indeed have control of everything, I have been able to give control over FIXING my kids, and myself, to Him. I have seen a 180 degree turn in me, and am witnessing a turn in them as well…though not as fast as I would like!! That control thing for me is a constant battle.
Giving control to the Lord over my kids doesn’t negate any of my responsibilities for raising them. It does however, allow me to seek His leading in my life, so I can lead them how He wants me to lead. The task of raising them is more joyful now!
In what ways do you get in the way of how the Lord wants to raise your kids?
Give them to Him. Peace and joy be with you.
Kevin Weston 03-09-2020
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