Raising World Changers

Mothering children is a unique role. You basically spend 18+ years pouring your heart, soul, mind, energy, and time into a child that you cannot truly see the results until you're done. Sure, there are encouraging moments along the way, but, as a mom, you cannot see the total fruit of your work for many years.

Today, as I read this and laughed, it got me thinking....

You never know who's living in your house.

Your children are the future, and you just never know who they will become....

When little David was chasing girls around the town square (I'm assuming he was a ladies man), do you think his mom knew he would go down in history as a man after God's own heart??

When young Joseph told his mom that he had a dream his older brothers would bow down to him, do you think she envisioned him being Pharoh's right hand man and saving their family from famine??

When Michelangelo was painting on the walls for the 100th time, did his mom see the amazing artist who would paint the Sistine Chapel??

When Rosa Parks stubbornly refused to obey the rules in her home, do you think her mom ever thought that same stubbornness would catapult the Civil Rights Movement??

Obviously, I could go on. You get the point.

When our toddlers and preschoolers take every ounce of energy and sanity we have every single day, it is hard to imagine who's truly living in our house.

If we could just look outside of the immediate and see our children through the eyes of Jesus, I can only imagine how differently we would treat each moment....even the downright frustrating moments.

When Caleb was screaming at me in the grocery store because Chloe got to do something he didn't get to, I could think.....maybe one day those will be screams of justice that will defend girls who are terribly mistreated in the human sex trade. Or fight for the rights of unborn children. Or free a man wrongly accused of a crime.

When Chloe refuses to listen to me and won't back down from her stance, I could think...that passion could one day change the face of our political structure (hello, Rosa Parks!). Or the ungodliness of Hollywood.

When Luke laughs when I tell him not to touch something, I could think....that joyful spirit may be just what it takes to go into the world's toughest situations and see the good that is in everyone.

What an amazing experience it is to raise the future of our world. How precious a responsibility to be the person behind some of the greatest men and women this world will ever know. Our kids may not be recorded in the history books (or maybe they will), but they still have the capacity to make a huge difference.

When my kids are one day changing this world and bringing Jesus into whatever situation they find themselves in, I have a feeling that the sleepless nights, the backtalking, the diaper changes, the diaper explosions, the snotty noses, the social events I missed out on....will all have been worth it.

I have a suspicion that the long and frustrating days will seem laughable when we get to see the full picture of who God intends each of our children to be.

Happy Mother's Day.

May you be able to look beyond today and see through the eyes of Heaven who is truly living in your house.

Some of these ideas were adapted from an amazing teacher named Deborah Reed from Redding, California. I highly encourage you to get a hold of her materials!