Wait!
Remember back when you were a kid? For some of us that is a lot farther back than others. Remember how you would be almost running along to try and keep up with your mom, whose legs may have been two to three times longer than your own? At times it may have seemed that mom was oblivious that we were even behind her. But the reality is, she always knew we were there. You probably remember the times where she would tell you to quit doing something and she hadn’t even turned her head to look at you. It was like she had eyes on the back of her head. I don’t know about you but there were times that I would say, “Mommy, wait, Mommy, wait.” There was this fear that she would leave me behind. But, of course, it was unfounded fear because my mom would never have left me behind.
Moms
We live in a world where there are moms that are not really moms but I am not going to address them here. But what I am going to talk about is how moms should be and most of them are.
Being a mom myself, I realize the heart of a mom. Once you are a mom life is never the same. Everything about you is different, body shape, vitality, sleep, worry, love, etc. When you have little ones and all the care it takes the thought is when they get older I will get some relief. This is far from the truth but I guess it helps you get through the earlier years. Even when we were young we wanted to get older because we thought life would get better. Our perceptions are so wrong.
Then my children started getting older. Worry set in even more. They start to make some of their own choices, which are not always what we want for them as a parent. Moms have to pray a lot. And, unfortunately, we worry. It seems to be our job to worry but God does not want us to worry. He wants us to give our children to Him and pray daily, hourly, moment-by-moment for them. Praying moms have been what has brought many a son or daughter back to Jesus. Even if our children are compliant, compliance doesn’t bring salvation. Compliance that is from a heart of love for God and a connection with Him is what brings about salvation. We need to pray daily that our children gain that connection with Him that will bring about salvation.
Nature
I was away from home for a weekend and where I was staying they had a large beautiful yard. Each of the three mornings I was there I would look out the window in the morning and see this family of quail. The momma quail was running around eating and behind her was her brood. There was a lot of them. But the amazing part is that no matter where momma went they were following her. She was going so fast they had to run to keep up. It was so cute. I imagined them saying with their little peeps, “Mommy, wait, Mommy, wait!”
The other thing that I realized, as I pondered what was happening, is the father quail. He was the keeper of the gate, the watchtower, and the protector from the evils that surrounded them. He was keeping the predators away. The mother was not worried about the outside “world.” She was fully concentrated on her children. God shows his plan for the family, even through nature. There has been many a worried mom because they don’t have the protection of a spiritual father. They could be a single mom, living with a husband who is not a Christian, or living with a husband that is a “Christian” but has not taken up his duty as the spiritual protector and leader. This can mean more worry for a mom and prayer becomes even more valuable.
God’s plan
I think God’s plan was for a mother to be able to be home with her children. She was supposed to be the first teacher that they had. She was to guide their minds toward God and teach them His ways. But unfortunately, many mothers have to work. Whether a single mom or a family that cannot financially make it on one income, it is the reality of the age in which we live. Many children spend more time in daycare than with their parents. Or once the children are legally old enough they are home alone. This is a very sad fact.
The plan for the husband and father is to be the spiritual protector from all the things of this world that can trickle into our lives. I had a father that did this and it was such a blessing. Many fathers today are not the protector. They either don’t have the backbone to stand up and do their duty, they have lack of knowledge to know how, or they love the things they love and don’t want to give up what they want to protect their families.
The things of this world can be so attractive. And the thought may be, “Oh this is not so bad.” What I like to call it is a creeping compromise. A good example for me is the television. How many people, back when television first started, would have accepted what is on television today? I believe they would have thrown it out in a second. But that is not how the devil works. He starts things out as mostly good and maybe a little bad but it is so little people don’t pick up on it. The things of today, that would not have been acceptable then, are accepted by the majority now. That is how creeping compromise works. We have to examine our lives to be sure that creeping compromise has not entered there.
Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world and fathers and/or mothers may not be doing their part. As a mother, you can do your part all you want and the Lord will help you but if the father is not doing his part it can destroy the family. It doesn’t mean God is not working or He is giving up but He also gives freedom of choice. And when compromise happens it is very difficult to gain back the ground you lost.
Dear Father,
The world in which we live is so worrisome. I know we need to leave all our worries with You. But Lord it is so hard. We ask for Your love and grace to come and work in and through us. Forgive us for compromises that we have made. I pray that each mother and father will take up their duty with Your help and courage. Give us strength and endurance to run the race that is set before us.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Make a stand today to be the father and mother that God has intended for you to be.
Love you all.
I would love to hear your nature lesson.