Today we study several different passages, but they all point to 3 principles:

1) God has a plan for your child. (Jeremiah 29:11)

2) God has gifted your child to bring glory to Him and know Him through these plans. (Romans 12:6-8)

3)  You are a vessel to let God’s Spirit pour encouragement of these gifts to be cultivated and to point them to hold Jesus’s hand and let Jesus walk them step by step into these plans for good, for a future, and for a hope!

I enjoyed going through the passage in Romans 12 and reflecting on which of these gifts I see emerging in my children.  I hope you did too!

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

This week I have been quick to encourage my daughter as she serves our family by helping me cook and prepare meals.  She ALWAYS wants to pull a chair up to the stove and help me.  Two nights ago, she insisted on making us our salads. I knew this passage was coming up in our bible study, so I encouraged her using the word “serving” and telling her God had given her a special heart to serve others.  I lifted up some prayers asking God to continue to stir her heart to serve others through the love of Christ.  And I will continue to allow her to help me serve.

EVEN THOUGH IT IS MESSY!  EVEN THOUGH IT TAKES A LOT MORE TIME!

Why?

 Because I see the radiant fulfillment and joy on her face when she hands her daddy his salad, with half the juice from the green olive jar mixed in with his salad dressing.  

Because this is how God builds and encourages his church.  We were ALL given a special gift that makes all the parts of his body work together in perfect harmony. 

 Because God knows the plans he has for my daughter.  And you can be sure, he will not let this gift go to waste.  I don’t know how, or where, or when she will be serving others in the future, but He knows.  

So we will keep praying, bringing the decisions that we make for them to the ONE who knows what their future holds.  I pray we all do this and trust the ONE who knows their future.

 

 

 

Matthew 7

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 

 I hope you have had a great day Refocusing on praying for your children! I posted a video on Youtube to go along with the study today. Unfortunately it is not the best quality but I’m trading in perfection for snuggles with my kids now, so here it is! Hope it blesses you and you can look beyond the quality of the video! Here are my pics of my prayer promises for my kids this year and my write it out! ASK SEEK KNOCK for them!!!

 

Challenge: BE PRESENT WITH YOUR “PRESENTS” TODAY!!!
This is a good way to remember to enjoy and engage with the children God gave us as our best gifts from Him!

I think about mothers in the bible and how it must have been easier to treasure their children “back in the day.”  The pace of life was slower.  There were no cars, no computers, no smart phones!  Let’s commit to letting nothing get in the way from being fully present in our children’s lives.  Listen to them intently.  Play with them.  Read to them.  HAVE FUN WITH THEM!

The Lord is going to be watching and loving seeing us enjoy the most precious gifts He has given us!

Let’s commit to making this a reality this year.  Everyday we will be pulling back a layer of the wrapping paper from these incredible gifts from God  as we watch our children mature and grow.

We read about Hannah’s desire for a son today, and engaged in her story from 1 Samuel 1.  She knew that once he was weaned (which was much later than 12 months old back then) that she would fulfill her vow and take him to the temple, as she had promised.  I am sure that she treasured her sweet boy as she saw the day quickly approaching.

Let us learn from her story.  Let us remember it was the Lord who gave us these precious gifts.  Pray and ask Him today and everyday to enjoy them and praise Him for them.

Another Challenge: Think about (meditate) on this verse today:
“Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.” Psalm 127:3

If you are behind in the study, didn’t get it printed out, don’t have time:
I have good news for you: Thinking and praying about God’s word can be very powerful. Simply do this if nothing else! I want to encourage you to be on the “do what you can plan.” A little of God’s Word is better than none at all!

BUT the activities in the study guide today are personal and fun! Write out this verse and personalize it.  My daughter picked out the colors and pattern of her present and loved it!

I’m going to sign off and be “PRESENT with my PRESENTS” until tonight! Thanking God for these most precious gifts!  Praying you will do the same!

 

Introducing the three kids who made me a mom:

Arabella,Sam, and Sharon, my 6, 7 and 5 year old.  🙂

I’ve spent many hours with Jesus trying to figure this mothering gig out.  My conclusion:  I’m never going to figure it out, but I am going to keep going to his Word to look for the answers!

I am convinced that nothing has had more sanctifying power in my life than parenting. You learn what it means to die to yourself those first few nights with a newborn.

but…

I LOVE being a mom!  Sometimes my kids have to tell me to calm down because I get too carried away with crazy fun of dance parties in our living room.

So I am excited to walk through this week of refocusing on parenting with you.  We will be:

Remembering the Gifts that they are

Refocusing on praying for them

Refocusing in on their God -given gifts

Refocusing on teaching them God’s Word

Refocusing on spending time with them

So print out the study guide and check in here Monday!  2016 is going to be the best year in your mothering yet!

The world has done well at taking physical intimacy away from a married man and woman and putting it on every channel of our televisions.  But the church has a hard time talking about it.  I get it.  It is hard to talk about something God created to be so good and pure and right inside of marriage with sacredness when we are all sinful people.

But you know what?  God can handle it.  He wants you to go to him, in prayer and in his Word  and rediscover, see with new beauty what he created physical intimacy in marriage to be.

So I hope and pray that if you are doing this bible study with us (over 300 ladies on our Facebook group!) that you do not skimp over this day of study.  That you do not flip through and passively throw up a quick prayer about your married sex life.  Yes I typed the three letter word. It is a good word if you are using it in the way God intended.

I challenge you to really do what I suggested in the study guide.

Write out Song of Solomon 4:9 and Draw out the Garden of Love.  Post your garden of love scene on your beside table, light a candle, and put the kids to bed!  Have a great time and check back in here tomorrow when the kids are awake driving you crazy.  I will have the #Refocused Week 3 –Parenting study guide posted by then.  Happy Friday!!!