Parents and Children

Today is a very rainy and gray sort of day. It can lead one to thoughts of bleaker times they may have experienced. For some reason, I woke up this morning and then went back to sleep and had a dream about an experience as a child that was let’s say not a pleasant one. Right after that dream, I dreamt that I was alone now, at this age, in my own home and feeling this overpowering fear that all but robbed me of my voice and made my heart beat so fast it all but came out of my chest…my knees got weak and my body trembled to the core. I felt dark evil spirits present near me…

I was weak, I was afraid and I was near a heart attack to say the least but I looked up to heaven and I prayed for God to deliver me…and next thing I know I am in the elevator and the door is not closing because this dark spiritual figure is trying to open it and at this point I cried out to God and then with barely audible voice I struggled to shout at the dark figure “You are strong Satan but God is stronger…God WILL conquer, you will NOT WIN!” and as I kept praying in that feeble voice over and over again - slowly that scary black moving shadow became like parchment and withered before me and yet I could not stop even as I saw this…my own voice woke me and the words on my lips “God will conquer!” still repeated until I was fully awake.

I don’t know what this dream means…I have had many dreams that are vivid and I know personally I still have a lot of struggles and will always have them…and one of the major tools the devil has delighted in using on me is fear. I was literally afraid of my OWN shadow at 4 years of age…oh yeah, true story…but dream aside…

Today my thoughts are leading me toward the huge responsibility that I have as a parent. There are so many ways I could screw up and I know it. I WILL make mistakes but I was just thinking not only am I responsible for the physical health and well being of my little one but ALSO responsible for her spiritual health to a degree, as she starts to grow and learn more and more that there is a right and wrong. There is a God and that there is a Heaven and Hell. God will do the work in her, but I must lead her to Him by my words and more importantly by my life – my words mean nothing if they are not backed by example. It is when she sees God’s work in me that she will understand that God can do a work in her life too.

I am just so aware of this and want to always keep this in the forefront of my mind- that I not only must be true to God for my own sake but for hers too. If I do my part then she can do hers – each generation providing an example for those coming after. If everyone realized how each of us is truly so responsible for each other wouldn’t we strive ever harder to do what’s right?

In all this I was also thinking about how helpless we can feel as parents and how we can drive ourselves mindless with worry that anything can go wrong at any point in the day that they are out of our sight…glad for the thought there that God is the ONLY One that has the ability to send His angels and protect our little ones as they are living their lives outside our line of vision. I can only do the best I can for my own little one and the rest, leave in His very Capable and Loving Hands!

We know that God loves children and it may seem ironic, but we can learn from them and be the better adults for it. I loved to read these verses...

Matthew 18: 1-5
At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, "Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me."

Luke 18:16-17
But Jesus called them unto him, and said, "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein."

1 Peter 2:1-3
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby; if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.