Faithful or Fearful?

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.  Phillipian 4:6-9

Do you ever get tired? I mean extremely tired…mentally and physically hanging on by your last thread? Ever find yourself in a bind…wandering, straining to find a way out? Ever want God to just fix it all…right now? I do! My husband used to joke around and say, “Today is a great day for the rapture!!!” I used to laugh, but was inwardly a bit annoyed. Why did he like that line so much? I am convinced it is because he was fixing his eyes on what is ahead instead of the here and now. Even if we were experiencing “the best day ever”, he knew heaven was infinitely better, greater, and more magnificent.
In fact, God’s word says that are toughest day are “light and momentary “ compared to what is ahead of us. Check it out:

          For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  Corinthians 4: 17-18

When I was younger, my mom had a knack for making tough times look like fun. It wasn’t until years later that I realized that the nights where we had “hot dog smorgasbords” were the nights when funds were tight. Mom made some hot dogs and pulled out every possible topping to go with it and set it up buffet style. We thought it was a treat; she was making her dollars stretch.

I hope I can offer my kids this same gift when times are tough…a light and merry heart…a heart that trusts in God even when I don’t understand…especially when I don’t understand! I understand that as moms we will not be all smiles all the time, but I hope I can learn to exhibit God’s peace more and more in my life. I pray that HIS peace will be contagious in my home.

One last thing…I often think that as moms we try to shield our kids from tough times. We don’t want them to know when we are struggling, and we certainly don’t want them to have any struggles of their own. But I have encountered something far better than shielding our kids from trouble. Rather than shielding, teaching them to navigate through their troubles is much more profitable because we know that in this world we will have troubles, BUT God rescues us (in his way and time) each time. (John 16:33).

So, in an effort to help make God “real” to my four year old, we have begun to pray through some of our troubles, concerns, and desires together. What a blessing this has been for both of us! When we reach the other side of a tough time or when a desire is fulfilled, we thank and praise God together. My hope is that he will be able to track God’s faithfulness in his life from a very young age. I want him to have a mental track record (until he is able to write it down) of all the times God has showed up for him personally.

For example, when we moved we prayed for friends. After a while, God provided! We prayed for a bigger house to accommodate our growing family. God said “no” and “wait” quite a few times, but then HE provided! We are praying for a family who is dear to our heart, because their daddy is away for a season. We can’t wait to see how God will provide for this family! Make prayer a regular part of your family’s life, and watch how God brings His peace into your heart and home!

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, you have given us your Word and the gift of prayer—constant on-line communication with you. Thank you for always being available. God whether we are having a good day, a rough day, or anything in between, may our hearts be full of the peace and joy that only comes from knowing you. Help us to know that you are real and true. Help us to make you known to our children by teaching them to pray and teaching them to establish their own personal prayer life. You are so faithful! Thank you that your love knows no bounds. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Challenge: How can you involve your children in your personal prayer life? What things can you prayer for together? Keep a journal or checklist of when and how God answers---I bet you will both be amazed by his faithfulness! J