Are you a mother who speaks with vision and hope?
I have learned over the years that I not only need to pray for my children but I also need to speak intentionally and actively into their lives. I have thought about the simple words my own mother has spoken to be in the past and how they resonate with me today (the good and yes, even the bad) and I realize the powerful and magnificent impact that we have upon each of our children's lives and self image.
Here are some examples:
I am cooking in the kitchen and ask Joy (my youngest daughter) to help me dice some tomatoes. She happily obliges. I glance over at her work and say, "Joy, you are doing such a great job! You are going to be a fantastic cook for your own family one day."
I am giving her self confidence, encouragement and vision to help her look at her future and begin dreaming about it. This is all while she is learning valuable skills in the kitchen. I know this seems so simple, but sometimes we need to be reminded that the small things we say to our children count. No small thing is too little when it comes to their future!
#2:
I am at the dinner table. We are sharing a meal with the children. I start to vision cast: "Children, I can't wait until you are all older with your own families. Joy will go over to Joshua's house and bring cookies-you'll be such a great aunt! Naomi will visit Janai and help her with her garden. Janai, I can come over and help with your children. Imagine the big family get-togethers with all the grandchildren and extended family. How exciting--I can't wait."
(At this point the children are all excited and talking about what their homes will look like, jobs they will have, their weddings, which holidays will be hosted at who's home, who will have the most children, etc.)
This helps to enrich the vision of their future. Mothers are enrichers. We are talking about keeping strong relationships in the future, about strong homes, we are talking about placing dreams and hopes in their hearts that will hopefully be born one day.
So much of the world is negative. Mothers need to be wise. Mothers need to be bold. We need to be intentional.
Don't get discouraged, I know we are just mere sinners, trying to share a holy vision with eternal souls. We will fail, we won't always get it right. Things will slip out of our mouths that we will regret. But we need to repent, to them and God when we fail. Repent and do right.
We need to build up our children and the hopes we have for them one day. We need to talk about what they will look like serving the Lord and when they are older how they will serve the Kingdom (and now as well), what kind of fathers and mothers they will be. What kind of spouses. The funny thing that I have found, is that when I am doing this it encourages my heart too!
We also need to remember to put away any foolish talk that is not edifying. Discouragement, harsh criticism, nagging, anger, etc. The Bible calls us to be sober-minded. And sober-minded we must be. Sober-minded moms are not intentionally tearing down their children but make every effort to build them up with love.
Mothers, if you have failed at this in the past, do everything in your power to start new. Our days our numbered--begin speaking vision and hope into your children's lives today.
What ways can you speak vision and hope into your family right now?
***************
6 comments:
what a delightful post, June.
The Lord has given me the Grace to be able to do this with my children...and this is truly His Grace because I could have followed in my verbally abusive mother's footsteps...all I ever heard was "Just you wait until you have children. Then they will destroy your house" And "I can't wait until you have children and they put their feet up on your coffeetable and track mud all over", and the worst "I can't wait until you are old enough to move out", which of course, made me count down the days until I could leave when the only words for the future were that I wasn't welcome and that my children would be a "curse" like I was to her.
(I didn't grow up in a Christian home)
I knew how hurtful it was, and thankfully the Lord healed that hurt and never let me speak such words to my own precious children. It is an amazing testimony to His Grace that my oldest, now 17, told me that she wants to continue to live at home and be with us...I know it's because of the investment I've made speaking into her life and all of my children's lives.
If there is a Mama out there who has spoken harshly like this, apologize to your children...they are so forgiving. I would have given anything to hear that my own mother was sorry for what she said. She has since become a Christian, but still says hurtful things...the Lord has enabled me to forgive, but it still hurts.
I've done those without realizing that I was giving them hope and a vision! Thank you for encouraging ME to keep doing it (and to be even more mindful of it!). How awesome is it that we are able to give these gifts to our children!
This is a great post, very uplifting. Gives me a lot to work on. Even as a mom to a 3 year and 1 year old, I feel it is never too late to do these things.
Good words, June--so important to remember to encourage our children:)
Dear Mrs. Fuentes,
Thank you so very much for such a beautiful, powerful post! I have so enjoyed and been edified by your blog for the past few years now! The work you do is so great, it is incalculable! Mothers are being encouraged and strengthened by your words, which in turns strengthens and blesses the children, husbands, entire households, churches,communities, the nation...I do not think this is at all an exaggeration. You are a treasure in the body of Christ! You are beautiful inside and out! May the Lord continue to bless and use you mightily for His glory!
In Christ, Annabelle Kopf and family
Mrs.June you are so wise. I'm married but we haven't any children yet, but it's good to read this for me, it will be so useful one day, when I'll be a mother (I hope very soon!)
Thank you so much!
Gege
Post a Comment