Make sure you have first read Mother Wings Part I
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (NIV)
Matthew 7:7-8
In a perfect world as a parent we would program our children to do exactly what we want them to do. Make the exact choices for their career, pick the perfect like-minded friends, and spouses and make sure they become scholars and excel at everything they attempt to do. Ahh how nice it would be to grant our children this perfect life reflecting our perfect parenting skills, and the perfect pathway we have set up for them. Unfortunately, this isn’t exactly how things work out well at least for most parents. No matter how well we do as parents, and even with the support and guidance we give our children, the guarantee that when they have the opportunity to make choices on their own they will make good choices is not always the case. I have learned from being a parent that this is the absolute most vulnerable job that we have that is never ending. I always say that being a parent is like having a portion of your heart outside of your body that travels down its own and may wind up being susceptible to all kinds of hurt, pain, and disappointment they will be out of our control. Being a parent is a Blessing even the bible says in Psalms 127:3-4 that “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.” (NIV) It is no wonder that we want to shape and guide and direct the pathway we desire for them to go down, but sometimes maybe even more times then we care to admit our desire for our children may not very well be God’s desire or plan for them.
Remembering back to my own childhood, I always wanted to sing and write even though my passion was and still is writing but I also loved to sing so naturally I thought singing was the way to go. I believed singing was the path I was destined to be on, and of course I would write my own songs. When my mother signed me up for piano lessons I couldn’t understand what learning how to play the piano had to do with me learning how to sing. The piano teacher I had at the time was working for some very popular mainstream singers and she would say “Hey if you want to be a singer, you’ve got to sing and practice often you should want to know how to play the music on the piano you want to sing.” As a child I didn’t know what to do with that information because I’m listening to the radio and all I hear is singing beautiful voices making beautiful music, not knowing or realizing what it took for those singers to gain success. My mother would say every day “you should practice” and I might start off practicing in the beginning of the week, but by week’s end I wouldn’t practice. My mother heard my desire and supported me the best she could, but I didn’t listen to the teacher or my mother, and I never became a singer. When we are showing support for our children and they aren’t listening to the wise counsel, the best thing to do is Pray. When you Pray you are putting into place the effects of the powerful parent warrior within asking God above to direct this arrow (your child) to hit the marks that only God could have established for him/her. It is scary to think that there is nothing you can do or say that can direct your child along their chosen pathway, but Prayer is the most powerful that we can give and will be more likely received than solicited and unsolicited advice.
Most of the time children will want to establish themselves as an adult without your help because they are learning the world and what works for them. Therefore, often they become slightly or majorly rebellious against anything you say. I love the scripture that goes with this post because Jesus says in Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.” (NIV) As a parent our job is to ask God for the protection for our children, to seek Him for the guidance for our children and to knock for direction for our children. Our children are God’s children before they were ours and even though He has entrusted us to be their earthly parent He is also entrusting us to come to Him as the head of our life, so He can give us what we need to adequately perform as a parent. It is true that the bible says if we train up our children in the Lord when they are old they won’t depart from their training, but maybe we didn’t receive God ourselves until we were older, and all our children were grown and already making decisions on their own. Be encouraged that is why it is so important that whatever point you are at in parenting whether your children are newborn, teenagers, or adults we can still have an impact on their life without ever even saying a word. We don’t ever need to take matters into our own hands concerning someone else’s life we should always consult God first! Ask Him, seek Him, and knock the door down with your request and your Praise and God will respond with giving you favor and leading you to receive the guidance and direction down the pathway He wants for you as a parent and what He desires for your children. Turn your parenting choices back over to God; the One with the Master plan.
Key Thought: Our children are a precious gift from God and sometimes we want to direct their life the way we want to, but we as parents should always consult God for every choice concerning our children’s life so they will excel on the path God has for them.
Prayer: “Oh Lord I am asking for your guidance over my child(ren) I desire the best for them God but maybe my desires don’t line up with your will for their life. Teach me to give Godly support and guidance so my child(ren) will have all they need to achieve to their full potential in this life. I Pray for your protection over them from dangers seen and unseen. God keep them ever before your throne of Grace in Jesus name, Amen.”