“Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights….” (James 1:17)
“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3).
God has not only spoken your children into existence, He has also placed them in your family with deliberate purpose.
Your children (and your mentees) were hand-selected by God, just for you.
They may not only have your nose or mouth, but they have the innate qualities that He has prescribed.
Are they a little sassy? Maybe He is enlightening you to watch your own words.
Are they manipulative? Maybe He is teaching you discernment.
Are they handicapped? Maybe He is revealing how Love can overlook an imperfection.
Granted, there are many long days that make our children seem anything but a bountiful gift. Their whining, conniving and resistance deplete our energy before the day is through. In my opinion, on those days, it’s usually better to just get everyone to bed as early as possible. Sometimes, starting over with a fresh day is best for the whole family.
Yet, God is our Rewarder and some of His best rewards are our children.
Here’s just a few of the rewards that having children (or mentees) can bring:
A rewarding glimpse of how God feels about you.
God began the world by creating family. Since He has a Son, He made us into His image and included a natural, procreative bent.
Looking down at our own helpless babies, we picture just what it means for God to call us His children. I can only imagine the imagery given to those who have adopted their children. They can testify to a whole other dimension of God’s love.
A rewarding opportunity to know total weakness and see His strength in action.
Since His power is only perfected in weakness, parenting is the perfect petri dish in which Christ’s energy can grow.
P.J. O’Rourke said that “Everybody knows how to raise children, except the people who have them.” How true.
No amount of preparation can ready an individual for raising a child. All of our parenting theories go out the window in the presence of a live child.
Yet, desperate times call for desperate prayers. Maybe humility training is the reason that the Father shaped our children into living Bowflex machines.
A rewarding setting where the gifts of the Spirit can come to fruition.
- Need patience? Have a child and your’s will be strengthened.
- Need faithfulness? Raise an adolescent and you’ll pray for plenty.
- Need kindness? Train a teenager and you’ll realize how you should be treated and how you should treat others.
“If you then, begin evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11)
How are children a reward to you? How do your mentees make life worthwhile?
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