Releasing Our Kids Into The World-Overcoming Our Fears!

I recently stumbled through a few secular blog posts that made my jaw drop. Mommy bloggers who were writing about things that I would never even think about, much less write about publicly. I was tempted to give you a sample or two of the topics, but it would not do either of us any good. I was only able to scan the first few lines before hitting the "next" button.

As mothers, and especially for stay-at-home moms who are mostly within the home for a large portion of our days, we can become quite sheltered. And that’s a good thing to a certain extent. I really don’t need to know the sordid details of lifestyles outside of Christ.

But today, I simply want to remind us that there is a raging world around us and an enemy who prowls seeking to devour us, our families, and our children. I know that the thought of releasing our children into the world can cause a lot of anxiety. We love our kids. We want to protect them, and we should. There is no denying that it's a big bad world out there. That thought doesn’t strike fear in me. And I pray it won’t stir fear in you either. But I do hope that it reminds us that there is a Spiritual battle that we have signed up for. Our jobs as parents are so deeply noble. Here we are, preparing soldiers for Christ in our homes. Our children are the next generation who will go into the world and draw others to Christ by the way they love God and love one another. And though the idea of our kids facing these giants can be scary, it can also be something we look forward to knowing that God is with them and has a plan for their lives.

It doesn’t even take that much to stand out anymore.

I remember several occasions when I was in junior high and high school that I discovered this.  I tagged along with my father to an appointment in the home of a colleague. After only a few hours with these non-Christian peers for the first time, they turned to me and asked, “You don’t swear, do you? Why not?”  That was it. Abrupt. Unexpected. They opened up for me the opportunity to share briefly that I was a Christian and why I simply didn’t use strong language. They already “liked” me and we had been having a nice time. They knew I wasn’t judgmental and carried on like any other teenager would-but...different… somehow. They noticed. And because I had been taught the Word of God from the moment I was born, I was secure in my own identity in Christ, unafraid to share my faith.

Moms and Dads, when you labor over the homework desk encouraging your daughter, when you take twice as long to clean the cobwebs from the corners of your house because you have so many great “helpers”, when you walk patiently into the explanation…again…of why your son should listen and obey you, or take the time to teach them a weekly family Bible verse, and when you haul your tired body up out of bed to take your family to church every week, you are slowly, one day at a time, over stretches of years, molding a life for Christ.

Remember, God has not come for us yet. There is a reason we are here. It’s not up to us to say, “The world is going to hell in a hand-basket, let’s retreat and keep our children unaffected at all costs.” Instead, we need to arm our children with the knowledge of the Bible and the evidence of the Fruit of the Spirit. God has overcome the world. But He still loves it. He leaves us here to raise young men and women in the Lord who will go out-and go out they must-to be a reflection of our Savior.

To all of you who are there with me in this daily joy of parenting without giving up, thank you. Thank you for giving my kids another example of what a healthy, though imperfect family looks like. Thank you for strengthening me by reminding me that I too can keep going one day at a time with the strength that comes from the Holy Spirit. Thank you mothers of daughters, who teach your girls to be capable in the home, foster their individual gifts, teach them to one day love and respect their husbands, and show them that inner beauty is worth far more than rubies. Thank you moms of sons who daily try to foster their masculinity and wild nature while teaching them self-control. Thank you for molding them into the kinds of boys I can see my own boys looking up to. Thank you for training them to listen to their future wives, to lay down their own desires for the needs of others, and to stand for Christ no matter the cost.

I’m so thankful for this community of believers! My Co-Laborers! May God bless you richly today with a renewed sense of the longevity of your calling and when you look into the faces of even your littlest babe, may you see the value of what you are doing and who they will become. Instead of being afraid for their future, may you entrust them to God who knows what it is to love a Son and send Him out into the world.

And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind o each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:14-18

YOUR TURN!! How do you feel about one day releasing your kids into the world? What helps you keep your perspective as you daily face the tasks and responsibilities of family life? How do other families encourage you by their example?  If this post blessed you, please SHARE it with others! I love to hear from you!!

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory. Psalm 115:1

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