Beginning at the End

“Forgetting the past and looking forward what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ, is calling us.” Philippians 3: 13-14

“OOOOO, Mommy! Look at all those beautiful flowers!” My son Mikey was super excited to see a field full of all types of flowers. There were flowers of all different colors, shapes, sizes, and varieties…all in one large field. It was a cemetery. Oh, to see thing through his innocent eyes! The truth is very few of us view cemeteries as beautiful. Why? Because we don’t want to be reminded of death. Although statistics state that 10 out of 10 people die, we never want to think about dying and leaving our kids…even if it does mean being alive with Christ. However, from time to time, it is good, healthy even, for us to remember that we are leaving a legacy with our kids. We are blessed with precious moments with them now, but we will not be here with them forever. In light of this sobering truth, we must ask ourselves a couple of questions:

1. What is the Most Important Thing for me to do as mom?
2. How do my everyday actions reflect what is most important to me?

As I reflect on the first question, I realize that first and foremost, I want my boys to have a personal relationship with the One who created them and loves them the most. I want them to know that God has plans to prosper them and not to harm them, plans to give them a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). I want them to know that they can cast all their cares, worries, and anxieties on the Lord, because he cares for them (Psalm 55:22). I want them to know that although this life will throw us a few curve balls, His ways are always higher and better than our own (Isaiah 55:9).
How do we do that? I am convinced that we have to model Christ in all things. Will we mess up? Yep! Will we lose our cool when we are having one of “those” days? At times. But our overall character should reflect Him. We are to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1). In this culture that is not always easy, but we must strive to be set apart in the way we treat our husbands, our kids, our family, and our friends. We need to be slow to anger and quick to listen (Psalm 103:8). We need to forgive seventy times seven times (Matthew 18:21-22). We need to do everything out of love (1 Corinthians 16:14). Even our discipline should be out of love and not frustration…a truth I must constantly set before myself when I feel on the verge of snapping…on the verge of handling things my own way instead of God’s way.
The truth is both God and our kids are very forgiving. If we live a life of love, our kids are more able to relate to a loving father. If we are consistent in training and teaching them, they are better able to understand that our heavenly father is constant. He does not cast shifting shadows (James 1:17). As I reflect on all these truths, I realize that being a mom is a loaded job. We have the best, yet toughest job in the world. We are training up the next generation to love the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. We are teaching them that righteousness comes before being cool. We are teaching them to stand up for what is right…even if they are standing alone.
While these reflections may feel a bit “heavy”, I pray that they will give our everyday tasks a new sense of purpose. In light of eternity our the ordinary mom duties (changing diapers, picking up toys, folding laundry, making dinner, playing trains on the floor, etc.) can become an extraordinary part of the tapestry God is weaving in the lives of our children. And when that day comes when our children have children of their own—when they are running around taking kids to soccer practice, packing lunch, and playing tag—they can pass on the legacy of faith and love that we left them. And that kind of faith and that kind of love is what will change our world for Him: one loved child at a time.

Dear Father,
As we reflect on this wonderful and beautiful role of “momma”, we can often feel overwhelmed. Help us to remember that you are with us always and that we were never meant to do this thing called parenting alone. May we lean on your understanding and not our own. When feel tired, please give us new strength. When we need wisdom, please speak to us through your Word and with your still, small voice. Most of all, please help us to remember that you always were and will always be THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. We love you Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Scripture: A letter from Paul to Us—Philippians 3:17-4:1, 4-9 (NIV)
Dear Brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows that they are really enemies of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work…
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Challenge: Think about ways you can be purposeful in leaving a legacy of faith and love with your children? How are you doing well in this area? In what ways can you improve?