A Mother Who Loves Her Children: Part 3
In our last two blogposts (part 1 and part 2 of the series), we discussed ways we can fulfill our biblical mandate to “love our children”.
The first was to align our hearts with what scripture says about children. The second, to faithfully point them to Christ. The third, and last way we will explore is:
A mother who loves her children understands they ultimately belong to God.
I truly believe that fully embracing this particular truth is one of the greatest challenges for mothers. While we may be able to embrace this conceptually, it’s often much more difficult to embrace in a practical sense, i.e. in reality.
The biblical understanding that our children ultimately belong to the Lord really hinges on what we believe about God and His sovereignty.
The sovereignty of God is:
"…the biblical teaching that all things are under God's rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission. God works not just some things but all things according to the counsel of His own will (see Eph. 1:11). His purposes are all-inclusive and never thwarted (see Isa. 46:11); nothing takes Him by surprise. The sovereignty of God is not merely that God has the power and right to govern all things, but that He does so, always and without exception. In other words, God is not merely sovereign de jure (in principle), but sovereign de facto (in practice).”
(http://www.theopedia.com/sovereignty-of-god)
So if we are temporary stewards of our children then we will be wise to remember what God requires of stewards — faithfulness (1 Cor. 4:2). Faithfully stewarding your children requires us to train them, to chasten them, and to disciple them. All that is just plain ole hard work! Doing all that just for them (or for us) is simply not enough motivation to successfully complete the task. No, we must do it for the Lord, out of obedience that’s motivated by both fear and love. Fear, in that we know one day we will have to give an account for the task he assigned to us. And, Love, in that he loves us so we love him and count him worthy of our doing it well for His glory!
Understanding that God owns our children and is at work in their lives for His purposes greatly helped Warren and me as parents, especially in the launching and releasing of our young adult children. I have privately wept more tears than I can count as each has flown from the nest. However, I can ultimately rejoice in knowing that they are in His hands and He is actively working in their lives.
Being willing to launch my children has been one thing, but trusting God with their health, well-being, and safety has been yet another.
God has allowed us to be tested countless times in this area over the years. Those tests have come in the form of various illnesses, high risk pregnancy, miscarriages, surgeries, car accidents, and sending various children to different parts of the world with little to no communication. These are just to name a few!
It’s been during those critical moments that I have been forced to come face to face with what I truly believe about God’s sovereignty and Who owns my children. These tests have been the means God has used to pry open my tightly fisted fingers from the ownership of my children and put them in His care.
God has used His Word to remind me of the truth of His sovereignty and loving ownership countless times. Below are scriptures that have helped me more fully embrace that my precious children belong to the Lord and I can ultimately entrust Him with their care:
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
I Cor. 6:19-20
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us (my children) from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rom. 8:38-39
O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.
Ps. 139: 1-3, 5,7,17-18
In our next, and last in this series post you will have the privilege of hearing from a mother who experienced the untimely death of her teenaged daughter. Her words reflect the heart of one who in the midst of great loss and heartache embraced the sovereignty of God and His ownership of her precious child.