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Where Are We Leading Them?

4/13/2016

Moving has everyone in our home extremely excited. All the children can’t wait to customize their rooms and make it their own. The little ones have nothing to lose and don’t really understand the depth of what packing up and leaving means. The older girls have to face a new beginning. They are leaving their schools, friends, and what’s familiar behind. They have put all their trust in us believing that we are leading them to a good place.

Children don’t really have a choice when it comes to these type of situations. They just go where we go. Just like true disciples, they leave everything behind and follow us. It is important that we are being led by God.

Matthew 15:14
Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

Our children can only go as far as we take them. If we blindly lead them without the light of Jesus, we will all end up in a ditch on the side of the road trying to figure out how to get back on path. We need to lead our children into righteousness and truth.

Psalm 23:3
He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

John 16:13
13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

If we are being led in righteousness and truth by the power of the Holy Spirit, then we can lead our children also. We will have strategy and prophetic insight when we seek God first and are led by the Holy Spirit. Our children (when they are young) are limited to the God that we show them. If we give them a small God, then that is what they will believe in. They will form their own beliefs as they go on their journey and experience Him for themselves, but the foundation is laid by us. We need to show them a God that is able to do above what they ask or can think.

Ephesians 3:20
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

God wants to give us more. He wants to give our children more. He wants us to prosper in every area of our life. When we set an example that is healthy and prosperous in front of our children, they will want to follow us. Prosperity starts with our souls. As we line up with God’s Word, everything else around us will begin to align. This includes our children. When our children see us submitted and following God, it is easier for them to submit and follow us. A good leader first knows how to follow.

So as we are moving into new things. We must look at the whole picture. We must seek God first and consider all aspects every situation, including how it affects our children. Our children are following us blindly. We don’t want to lead them into a ditch! Let us use the light of God to be a lamp to keep us on the right path.

Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

Father, we thank You for the light of Your Word. We thank You for trusting us to lead our children down a path of truth and righteousness. Forgive us for not always considering Your plans for them as we make big decisions. Help us always be led by Your Spirit as we move into new things. We put our trust in You as our children put their trust in us. Help us lead them to You and train them how to trust You in everything they do. We want to make disciples. We want them to fulfill every great work that You have placed on the inside of them. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!

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Mistakes Make Fertilizer

4/6/2016

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One would think that having 5 children would make me an expert parent. This is far from the truth. No matter how many children I have, I find the more that I have to learn. Each one is so different. Starting from the womb into delivery and beyond, every action, response, and need are different. To succeed at parenting, we have to be open to understand on new levels and try new strategies. If we treat every child the same, we will surely be frustrated and weary from striving. Our love must be unconditional and our hearts have to be compassionate in areas that seem frivolous to our intellect. I don’t know how people raise children without Jesus. Without the Holy Spirit leading me, I would truly be lost!

Children are a blessing. They train us to be leaders. We are managers of our home and must learn to create an environment where different personalities and giftings can get along as a team. God ‘s grace will cover us as long as we remain humble and remember that each mistake holds value.

James 4:6(NKJV)
6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

I think of mistakes as compost. Compost is a mixture of various decaying organic substances, as dead leaves or manure, used for fertilizing soil. I remember growing up my dad had a compost bin. We would put banana peels, egg shells, and other “garbage” in it. He would wait until it decomposed then put it in his garden. He would grow the most beautiful, large vegetables. The harvest would be so plentiful that he would have to continuously give to the neighbors not to waste his crop.

Romans 8:28 (NKJV)
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

When we (or our children) experience times that seem to produce garbage, we have to remember to use what we can to fertilize the garden of our hearts for growth. We have to know that God will work it out because we love Him and are called for His purpose. Our mistakes should produce organic fruit that is abundant and beautiful. Fruit that will grow abundantly and be plentiful to share with others. Our mistakes should detour us off the wrong path and onto the road that leads to our purpose. They should point us into a new direction and teach us what not to do next time. If we focus on the negative, we can get stuck and create a cycle that is hard to break from. When reprimanding our children for their mistakes, we have to teach them the seriousness of consequences of bad choices while redirecting them into a productive solution. If we shame them and don’t provide help in problem solving, they will be more likely to fall into a trap of feeling unworthy. This will lead to more bad choices because they will feel a defeat that won’t allow them to expect more and experience victory. We as parents also can’t let others shame our mistakes. We are all on different journeys. No one knows or can understand our heart condition and “why” things are except for our Father in Heaven. We need His Word as a guide to navigate our path and to clean and purify our hearts.

Psalm 119:105 (NKJV)
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.

The method that I use may not work for you, but the principle behind it will as long as it is based on God’s Word. Our process will look different but the end result should always point to Jesus! If we diligently seek God for guidance, He will surely reward us with answers.

Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

I’d like to encourage you today to remember that you were chosen by God to Parent your babies. He found you well equipped and able to successfully raise them into who He has called them to be. Learn from every mistake and use it to fertilize and grow your purpose. Your babies need you and your unconditional love even when it seems like they have distanced themselves from your wisdom. Continue to pray and trust that God is working it all out.

Father, we thank You that Your grace and mercy abounds towards us. Thank You for trusting us with the children that You have given us. Forgive us for not feeling equipped or able to successfully raise them up. Teach us how to manage our homes and each child according to their own abilities. Show us how to use every mistake made as an opportunity to grow and mature into something more beautiful. Help us be humble and not let others shape how we view our situations. Let us only look to You to measure our growth and success. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!

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Mommy's Garden

Where Are We Leading Them?

Mistakes Make Fertilizer

Bonnie Kay Rimpson

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