"Be still, and know that I am God" Psalms 46:10(a)
God has really laid this Bible verse on my heart for some reason this year. We've all heard this Bible verse at one time or another, but God has been bringing this verse to my mind every day. As a matter of fact, I sang a song in church the other night that talked about being still.
As parents we know the effectiveness of our voice. Many times a child can be "brought back to earth" by our loud, stern voice but many times the quiet, calm voice gets the most attention. Our children hear us fuss and raise our voice all of the time; however, when we get quiet, that is when we really get our child's attention.
In the life of a single parent, there is not many quiet times. Sometimes the most "quiet time" we get is at work! But we need to set time aside for us to get alone with God. I'm not talking about getting alone with your TV, or getting alone with a child waiting at the door, I mean getting alone with God in a place where no one is going to bother you for a few minutes and just let God talk to you. Sometimes we handle our time alone with God like we handle filling our car up with gas... we zoom into our "devotional space", read our Bible to fill us up, and then zoom right back out into our life. But in that time, we do not allow God to really speak to us.
Let's determine to set aside time to be still and listen to God and let's also determine to teach our children how to have that quiet time with God so that they can begin to learn to listen to God's still, small voice.
BE STILL and have a great day!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Waiting on the prodigal son
Let me start off by saying, Happy New Year! I hope this year is everything that you've hoped for and more!!
The story of the prodigal son has been brought to my mind many times this week. I believe that God puts stories in the Bible so that we can learn from them. I've heard the story of the prodigal son many times. I know that the prodigal son went to a far country, lived wild, spent all of his money, lost his friends and ended up in a pig pen because he was so hungry.
The part of the story that never really occured to me until the other day was even though the son was living the wrong life, bringing shame to his father's name and spending all of his inheritance, the father never went to the far country to find his son. Even though the father had servants that he could have used to go to the far country and bring his son back or perhaps just keep and eye on his son, he did not do this. Instead, the Bible tells us that when the son came to his senses and started back home, the father saw him from a distance and ran to him.
As parents, and I think especially mothers, it is so hard for us to sit back and watch our children make mistakes. Parents know the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into raising our children and we want only the best for them. However, sometimes the best and only thing we can do for our children when they go to the "far country" is sit back, pray, watch and wait. But sitting back and watching is not an easy thing for a parent to do, it tears our hearts out and brings us low.
I currently find myself like the father in our story, my child has gone off to the "far country" where he might make mistakes, he might harm his good name, and I want so much to run to the far country, take my child by his hand and lead him back to the safety of home, back to where he cannot get in trouble, back to where he is loved so much. But I just keep reminding myself that the father waited patiently for his son to come home. The father waited and when the son came to his senses, he went back home into the open arms of his father.
Are you going through the pain of your child going into the "far country"? Even though it is easy to do, remind yourself that God is in control. God knew your child was going to do this before it happened and He has a plan for both of your lives. Trust God to do a work through your child, stand back, pray, watch, wait, read Romans 8:28, and remember that God loves you so much!
Let's determine to do what is best for our children no matter how hard it may be.
The story of the prodigal son has been brought to my mind many times this week. I believe that God puts stories in the Bible so that we can learn from them. I've heard the story of the prodigal son many times. I know that the prodigal son went to a far country, lived wild, spent all of his money, lost his friends and ended up in a pig pen because he was so hungry.
The part of the story that never really occured to me until the other day was even though the son was living the wrong life, bringing shame to his father's name and spending all of his inheritance, the father never went to the far country to find his son. Even though the father had servants that he could have used to go to the far country and bring his son back or perhaps just keep and eye on his son, he did not do this. Instead, the Bible tells us that when the son came to his senses and started back home, the father saw him from a distance and ran to him.
As parents, and I think especially mothers, it is so hard for us to sit back and watch our children make mistakes. Parents know the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into raising our children and we want only the best for them. However, sometimes the best and only thing we can do for our children when they go to the "far country" is sit back, pray, watch and wait. But sitting back and watching is not an easy thing for a parent to do, it tears our hearts out and brings us low.
I currently find myself like the father in our story, my child has gone off to the "far country" where he might make mistakes, he might harm his good name, and I want so much to run to the far country, take my child by his hand and lead him back to the safety of home, back to where he cannot get in trouble, back to where he is loved so much. But I just keep reminding myself that the father waited patiently for his son to come home. The father waited and when the son came to his senses, he went back home into the open arms of his father.
Are you going through the pain of your child going into the "far country"? Even though it is easy to do, remind yourself that God is in control. God knew your child was going to do this before it happened and He has a plan for both of your lives. Trust God to do a work through your child, stand back, pray, watch, wait, read Romans 8:28, and remember that God loves you so much!
Let's determine to do what is best for our children no matter how hard it may be.
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