Children Walking in Truth

By: Kimberlee Mendoza

I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.  3 John 1:4

Once I became a mom, my whole world changed and I knew I would never be the same again.   In this stage of life, with two small children, I worry about all sorts of things I had never thought of before.  I am awake in the middle of the night for no apparent reason and my shirtsleeves always have food, snot or slobber on them.  Not to mention all the anxiety, self-doubt, and the total loss of control that happens when you passionately love a little, dependent life.  Motherhood is beautiful, challenging, rewarding, and frightening all at the same time.  I have never felt more vulnerable in my entire life than I do right now.  Daily I must surrender to the metamorphosis of my life.

God continues to use the process of motherhood to clarify my hopes, dreams and values.  Priorities have been reorganized and my focus has been crystallized.  My greatest longing in life is for my children to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus.  I pray that they will love God and surrender their lives to him.  I want them to understand that Christianity is relationship not religion.  I want them to know that Christianity is not about "being good" but about living life to the fullest, in communion with a loving and gracious God.  My prayer is that they would understand what David meant when he penned the verse, "You will make known to me the path of life;  in your presence is fullness of joy and in your right hand are pleasures ever more" (Psalm 16:11).

I want to be intentional about cultivating the soil of their hearts and planting the seeds of God's goodness.  I want to meet them at each developmental stage, challenging them with deeper levels of spiritual truth and showing them greater depths of God's glory.  I want to instruct my children the way God commanded the Israelites to teach their children, within the context of their daily lives (Deuteronomy 6:5-7).  I need to be purposeful about my children's spiritual development or else I simply will not do it.  However, I do not think this process needs to be formal or complicated.  As moms, we have teachable moments every day with our children.  Let us be prayerful about our children's spiritual development and be women who seize opportunities to teach our children about Jesus and reflect his character to them.

Now be encouraged mamas! None of us are perfect moms and we have all missed precious opportunities but God is merciful and he loves our children even more than we do. How do we start spiritual development with our children?

Commit our children to the Lord, daily

Ask to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit

Pray for teachable moments

Start today!

Mother's Day, by Kimberlee

Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will never forget you.  Isaiah 49:14

This beautiful passage of scripture tells us so much about the character of God.  God's unfailing love is a constant theme throughout the Book of Isaiah.  God's faithfulness stands in stark contrast to faithless, rebellious Israel.  Through the prophet Isaiah, God compares His love for His people to that of a nursing mother.  I love the imagery here.  Mothers are the epitome of unconditional love and fidelity and here God uses this imagery to describe Himself.  In this passage, it says that God is even more compassionate than a nursing mother.  Having nursed both of my children, this earthy imagery resonates with me.  It is physiologically impossible for a new mother to forget her nursing baby.  She is designed to love and nourish her young. 

 In this beautiful and powerful promise, God is saying that His love for us is far beyond even a mother's love. This is a precious meditation.  Think about how much you love your own children and how overwhelming that love is to your heart at times. God loves you even more than that.

God's love for us is natural, intrinsic, and instinctive, and the magnitude of that love far surpasses the love we have for own children.  I pray this meditation brings you comfort and assurance as you reflect on the tender, faithful care of God in your lives.