"A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for."
(quote attributed to John Shedd)
I once heard a woman say, the children we raise are like building ships.
We'd love to keep them in our safe harbor of our homes/mother cacoon
where no harm can come to them. But essentially, God has given us these
precious gifts to love, nurture, "build up", and let go. Sending them out into
the world of "unknown waters."
But we as parents, can do this from the time they are born til the time of letting go:
1- Instill in them a love for Jesus
2- Fill them with the Word
3- Pray with them and over them
4- Give them the spiritual tools they too will need for life
5- Love with discipline
6- Teach them praise and worship
Tonite when putting the kids to bed I just felt my "mama heart" swelling again.
Seems like every day I fall deeper in love with these onery little ones God has blessed
us with. And every day I get a little bit more protective.
Our prayer is that our children would grow up to be mighty warriors in the Kingdom
and their ships will sail in "Living Waters."
4 comments:
I have been having lots of thoughts lately about what the kids are going to be like when they get older..and how I can possibly keep them from all the "bad" things. Thanks for the post. It helps give perspective...
That ship analogy is so true about our lives too. If we never take chances and make ourselves vulnerable, not naive, then we will never know the blessings that God may have for waiting for us. This is true about experiences and relationships.
I know it is going to be hard someday to let Kinley go out of the harbor, but I pray that Chris and I will point him to Jesus while he is home with us.
By the way . . . I definetely would have gone by the camper except that it was number 2!
Oh, you got me on this one girl! I needed kleenex... those moments seem to get deeper and deeper as they get older when you listen to them pray, as you watch them start to develop the exactl charactaristics that you have tried so hard (yet felt so feeble) at times to instill... compassion, grace, mercy, and above all love. I SOOOOOOO love your blogs =)
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