"The Blessing of loving Children"

I love the title of this chapter...it does not say "the blessing of having children" but it says of "loving" children. And I think this title goes beyond just the birthing process...it implies a "relationship" with a child. It also implies that because it is a relationship it will have many stages and be an on-going relationship.
Most of us have very different birthing stories...some of us laboured for hours and other just a couple! Some of us where alert and awake and some of us wish we weren't! But in the end when that precious little baby was handed to us...there was an instant, never-to-be-broken bond. Those early years were filled with laughter, wonderful delight as we discovered much about the personality of that child. But there were also sleepless nights, cries that we could not understand, sleepless nights, eating problems and did I say sleepless nights?
But as each day passed we began to see this little baby reflect traits that were unique. The crooked smile, the intense stare, the laughter, the cry...I remember I could identify Jessica's cry in a nursery full of babies! I could be in the next room and know it was her cry! This wonderful gift of intimacy with our children must be nurtured and protected first in infancy and later as they become adults we still must be purposeful and nurturing in our relationship with them as adults.
Carolyn exhorts us on loving children with a tender love. It is the same love we are directed towards as we love our husbands "phileo" But as she speaks of it this time she gives us a warning...
"We must not allow our warm affection to degenerate into indulgence. To indulge our children means to allow them to use, do or have what they want to the detriment of their character. Do we give in to our three-year-old's demand at the grocery store? Do we supply our eight-year-old with whatever toy or gadget is the latest fad? Or do we allow our teenager to watch movies that undermine Biblical values? IN OUR EFFORT TO ENJOY OUR CHILDREN, WE MUST NEVER BECOME TOLERANT OF SINFUL BEHAVIOR OR LENIENT TOWARD WORLDLY COMPROMISE"
It is natural for us to want our children to like us....but we must remember that mothering is not always likable but it is always to protect, encourage and point our children towards Christ.
Our faith in God and our submission to His word becomes the greatest tool God can use to bring salvation to our children. The greatest joy and purpose of mothering has to be to make disciples of our children.
Andrew Murray puts it this way... "The natural love of a parent's heart made the child a beautiful one in his mother's eyes, but FAITH saw more than nature could...each child is a being created in God's image with the faint light of divine glory shinning from it..." Our greatest impact and legacy is to raise Christ followers.
The next few days we will chat about our greatest calling as mothers is to raise our children in the "Admonition of the Lord"...how can we do that? With God all things are possible!

NAPLES GIRLS...we meet tomorrow night and I have a surprise for you! Come on time so you can meet her!