Listening to God's Prompting

Listen to God's prompting

It is weird to think that my child is wrong and I am right , but he/she (I will just use he for the examples from now on) doesn't think he is wrong...Maybe neither of us is wrong, but we just have a difference of opinion...

Should I have asked him to to this place that I had planned for our fun and recreation? If I did ask, he would have said “NO” just because it is opposite if what I want to do. I want him to be well balanced and that means that sometimes he has to do things that he is insecure about so that he can experience new things and learn to be comfortable with them. Isn't my job as a parent to help him stretch and grow?

Lord, I give my child to you. I can't raise him myself, and thank you for my husband's help but ultimately it is you that raises him. Show me what to do. Does my child just like confrontation...that could be a good thing if he is on the right side, but he needs to make sense. He has to learn how to make sense and that can't happen all of a sudden. It takes time I can teach him how to make sense and that is part of my goal.

Would my child's life be easier with out me? Sometimes, but would it be better? NO, I am the training agent to prepare him for the real world...all that stuff he doesn't know and doesn't want to know.

You, God, are the same way. You show me and teach me. Do I hear You? Sometimes if I take time to listen. Do I do what the Holy Spirit tells me? Sometimes, but other times I totally ignore Your prompting. I miss so many opportunities to share Your love and don't share what You've been teaching me simply by not speaking. Would I be better off without You? Of course not, You made me. When I'm not doing Your will, I am being disobedient. Will You strike lightning down on me for that? You could, but You haven't done that yet. When I disobey, I miss an opportunity for your blessings and for you to be glorified. I miss opportunities to share Your love because I'm hoarding it with the guise of “not wanting to offend someone”. If You want me to say it, the timing will be right and I'm not offending You. Would I rather take the chance of offending someone else by saying something that God wants me to say, or would I rather offend God by not listening to the God's Holy Spirit prompting me?

Thank you Lord for not giving up on me. When You teach me, I want to listen and respond to your words. In the same way, I want my child to listen and learn from me. I get very frustrated when he ignores me. Teach us how to listen to You and learn from each other and how to do the right thing. I'm sorry when I keep silent and I offend you. Help me to follow Your prompting because then I will receive the joy of knowing I shared Your Word and that someone may be my child.

I Love you, In Jesus name,

Amen

Pouring out without complaining

Phil 2:14-18 Do everything without complaining and arguing so that no one can criticize you . Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in the world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firm to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ's return, I will be proud that I didn't run the race in vain and that my word was not useless. But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. Yes, you should rejoice and I will share your joy.

Parenting isn't easy. It is hard not to argue and complain with our kids. We try to teach them to be content, but wonder if they will ever “get it”. Actually, we are suppose to learn from them too...their lives are innocent when they are young and they are very moldable. When we actually listen to them, they teach us how to love and accept others. When we learn to appreciate and accept our kids for who they are, we become content in our relationship with them. Sure we have a big responsibility to teach them not to be selfish and to care for others more than themselves, but when we look at life from a child's perspective, we are more likely to accept others for who they are and not criticize them.

Stand strong in your faith and don't back down. The race of raising our children is always before us and we must stay on the path, speaking truth and light to them. The race isn't over until Christ comes back and our responsibility is great, but it is a fun race. It is tiring, but it is full of funny times, and giggles, sweet kisses and hugs.

We should pour ourselves into our kids over and over just like a liquid offering. It is a sacrifice, but I think of the offering like gold stars pouring into them. They will shine bright and our life isn't in vain!! It is worth the work, worth the effort and full of grace and joy. We should be like that with our heavenly Father. He wants to shine his light into us and for us to be excited to meet with Him and gaze into His presence. His light will shine through us to our kids. This joy will permeate to their friends too.

Lord, Help me not to complain about being an active parent. I have a huge responsibility to train my children to be loving and accepting of others, but so often I don't even love and accept them as they are. Show me how to pour into them an offering of love and kindness so they will pour that into their friends. Yes, it is a sacrifice to teach them and train them in the way they should go, but it is worth it to see them spreading Your love!

We Love You, Jesus.

Amen