Titus Twosday: Beginnings

Children are a blessing and a gift from the LORD.

-Psalm 127:3 CEV

Sunday at Crossroads, we had a Baby Dedication service. (For more on the biblical reason we do that, see 1 Samuel 1:11-28.) It's one of the sweetest things we get to do as pastors. The darling little girl in the photo at right is our goddaughter, Emery Grace. Her mother was among the parents who pledged before family, friends, and congregation to raise their children in a home where God's love and grace are modeled, to give these precious little ones every opportunity to trust Christ as Savior. As I looked at all the babies on the platform with us, I reflected on just how difficult that assignment is when our children are small.
Last week, when I asked what you'd like to hear about on "Titus Twosdays", many of you said you need to know more about balancing the responsibilities of being a mom with other demands on your time and energy. So we'll dive into that just a little bit today, with more posts to come in the future. Let's start today with priorities since everything else will flow out of that.
If you've ever traveled by air, you're familiar with the safety instructions given at the beginning of every flight: make sure your seatbelt is low and tight across your lap, seat backs and tray tables in the upright and locked position, turn off all electronics, etc. Then there is the instruction that perfectly illustrates our point today: if you see oxygen masks drop, please secure your own mask first, then assist your child. Why? Because you must first take care of you to be able to help anyone else. A mother who is spritually, emotionally and physically drained is in no position to lovingly care for her family. But how do you take care of you when the baby is up all night, the laundry is piling up, and romance is a hazy memory? I'm so glad you asked!
I am not a psychologist or counselor, but I am the mother of four children, 3 of whom are very close in age. I remember feeling like I would always be pregnant or nursing! I speak from the trenches of childrearing, having survived the baby and toddler years and lived to tell the story. One of the most valuable things I learned was the oxygen mask lesson. I was no good as a wife or mom without making sure I put first things first. Here are a few practical things you can do today to start taking better care of you, and get your priorities straight so you have more to give as a wife and mom.
1. God first. Stay spiritually full. Make time every day to read your Bible and pray. Even if it's only a chapter or two, thanking Him for your blessings, and asking for strength and wisdom for the day, it will give you hope and encouragement like nothing else can. When my kids were 8, 3, 2, and newborn, the only time I could find for this was in the afternoon when they napped. I had tea and time with God. Sometimes it only lasted 15 or 20 minutes, but that time with God that was my "oxygen". It helped me do everything else.
2. Husband second. Your husband comes before your kids. Putting the kids first is a huge mistake. I can't say that enough! Even though your children's cries for attention are louder than his, a strong and happy marriage is the best gift you will ever give your child. Try to have a "date" every week. On purpose. Put the babysitter and the movie tickets in the budget. If money is tight, take a walk in the park, have Chinese food by candlelight after the baby is in bed, or a plan a romantic night "in". Your husband needs to know he hasn't been replaced by your child, that he is your priority!
3. Kids third. Notice that children come before the house. I know the house and laundry are screaming for your attention. But your laundry you will have with you always, and your kids are only little for a short time. You will never regret choosing to snuggle your baby, play Duplos with your toddler, or color with your kindergartner, over having a perfectly clean house.
Everything else: house, job, church comes after these three. We'll talk about managing those...next time.
Prayer for Today: Father, I know that my children are blessings from you. Please show me how to take care of me, so I can care for my family in a way that honors You. In Jesus name, Amen.

Arrows

³ Children are a gift from the Lord;

they are a reward from him.
⁴ Children born to a young man
are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.
⁵ How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! ....

-Psalm 127:3-5 NLT

I have a couple of blogger-friends who call their children "arrows". Isn't that precious? As parents, we endeavor to train our children to love God and serve Him, to be responsible, compassionate human beings. We teach and direct them, and when they're grown, we "launch" them, like arrows from a bow. We pray they reach their targets....people everywhere who need the love and mercy of Jesus. This is my firstborn "arrow" who just returned from Haiti last week. He was forever marked and changed by these precious orphans who had so very little, and now have less, yet still love with boundless gratitude. Just as the psalmist says, I'm truly joyful for my quiver full of arrows.

Prayer for today: Father, thank You for my children. Help me to always remember that they are arrows launched into a world that desperately needs You. Help us to be faithful in teaching them Your word and Your ways. Amen.

GREAT THINGS FOR GOD

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Cor 4:18

As a little boy, my son Samuel kept me on my toes. This is the child who used to crawl inside the empty dishwasher and peer out at me with a twinkle in his warm brown eyes. The child who loved to drop G.I. Joes and Hot Wheels down the laundry chute. The child who smuggled four frogs into the house in his sister’s pink Easy Bake pot. You get the idea. Every family has one: Adventure Boy!

On days when he would try my patience and stretch my endurance to the limit, I would catch myself losing my cool, and I would stop. Taking his angelic little face in my hands, and looking him straight in the eyes, I would say “Samuel, someday you will do great things for God!” He would beam, then run off to find fresh adventure. I don’t know how many times I said that to Sam, his eyes twinkling with mischief. But I can tell you, it was a LOT of times!

One particularly difficult day, when John the newborn was fussy, and Caitlin the two year old was bossy, and Samuel the three year old was racking up rascally deeds, he saw me about to melt down. He reached up, cupped my face in his sticky little hands and said “Mommy, I’m gonna do great things for God!” Wow. That was a “mom moment” that took my breath away. Now it wasn’t just me looking beyond his impish ways to a time when he would serve God. Now, Samuel believed it, too. Today, Sam is a sixteen year old worship leader, serving God with all of his heart. He’s doing great things for God!

If all we ever “see” is frogs in a pot, we will miss what God sees. His eyes are on what we will become in Christ, not what we are in ourselves. Next time you get into some mischief of your own, try to see Him taking your face in His hands, saying “You will do great things for Me!”

Prayer for today: Father, thank you for not only seeing my life as it is, but as it will be, in Christ. Help me to look not at the things which are seen, but at those things which are unseen and eternal. Take my ordinary days, my failures and my shortcomings, and make them an extraordinary life that makes a difference in the world. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.