Mary did you know
that your baby boy would one day walk on water?
Mary did you know
that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that
your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that
you've delivered, will soon deliver you...
When you kiss your
little baby, you kiss the face of God...
We’ve all heard this song at
Christmas time. I used to sing along and occasionally wonder if Mary did indeed
know, but then go about my business. Around Christmas of 2013, the words came
alive to me. That was the year I was pregnant with my first baby. We always
wonder what our children will be like, look like, and do as they get older. Will they be a soul winner, preacher,
teacher, etc.? I’m sure Mary had these thoughts, too!
Daily, I pray over my babies
numerous times and I pray, dear God, not only do I want my babies to be good
people, I want them to have a heart for you, to have a love for others like
you. While praying, this song sometimes enters my mind. And I think, I know my
babies are going to do great things. I don’t know what they are, but I can’t
wait to see it, and I’m expecting it. Can you imagine Jesus as a baby and
child? Was he a perfect, obedient child? Or was he at times a tad ornery or not
always nice to his siblings? Did he get into trouble? I mean, did Mary put
Jesus in time out? Did she ever say, “You do not want to make me stop this
donkey!!” It is funny to think about!
As mothers, we know our babies (no
matter how old they are, they are always our babies) are going to do great
things. We have hopes and dreams for them. It is our responsibility to shape
and mold them from the home front to have love and faith. It is our burden and
blessing to teach them to love God with all their hearts and to serve Him with
all their being. To make sure they mind their manners, play nice, show respect,
have fun, are healthy, are not psychopaths, or murderers, and to keep them
alive. It is a daily burden I know I carry for my children. Children are a blessing.
Psalms 127:3 (NLT) “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from
him.”. I applaud the mothers who carry this burden and I believe God will honor
our prayers and tears.
I encourage mothers to keep praying
and carrying a burden for your children all their days, even when they fall
away from God. And this includes ladies who encounter children’s lives. This
includes Sunday School teachers, relatives, members of church. If you are a
female and children are in your life, you have an impact on their lives and
should carry a burden for their spiritual well-being. Not everyone who wants to
is able to have their own earthly children, and my heart aches for you and I
pray the Lord gives you peace. But you still play a piece in others’ lives in
the time you share with them. When you teach the lesson in kids’ classes or you
speak to a child in passing, do you ever wonder what this child will be when
they grow up? Do you ever think can I say or teach them something that is going
to light a spark in their heart to be a missionary and reach hundreds, maybe
thousands, for the Lord one day? Will they one day teach Bible Studies to reach
all their school friends? What wonders and miracles will this child see with
God working through them?
I pray as a mother that we all have
a mother’s heart and love for the children around us. Let us remember the
powerful love of a mother, so powerful that God uses it as a metaphor for His
love for us. “As one whom his mother comforts,
so I will comfort you.” – Isaiah 66:13 (NIV)
-Written By Rindy Spann
