Raising Kids

“Fearfully and wonderfully made.”“Train up a child in the way they should go.”Many different phases have come and gone in my lifetime with my children. For 21 years I have been blessed to be a mother to 5 amazing children. With these 5 children came many different personalities and not one is the same. Their styles, likes, dislikes, and so much more are unique and all their own. Throughout my motherhood life has been a trial of prayer and crying that I am doing the right thing to raise my kids in what God has called them to be. I have fumbled, I have been broken, I have failed… but God!

In dark times I hold to that “but if you try train child up on the way there they should go to the they’ll not leave it”. And on the days that they are acting crazy I’m reminded that this phase will pass to live in the moment and to realize that they are fearfully and wonderfully made exactly who God has asked them to be. I have to continually remember God made us all different and for a purpose and some of our quirks is exactly what someone else might need and in realizing this it has taught me even in the heartache of my son being out of line with God he is never out of sight from God for he has not released his hands from him and he was trained up in the way of the Lord and I hold close to my heart that He leaves the 99 for that one. I will continue to pray and worship and raise my hand and when my prodigals return, they too will find the loving kindness of God and that they do deserve the ring and the robe.

To the moms that worry that what they said in anger might break it all remember God is merciful and we are to humble ourselves and apologize just as we do to our Abba Father. We are never too big to crawl in His lap and listen to his heartbeat. I used to meticulously clean my home first because my kids would put anything in their mouths but as the years have gone by I realized I was missing the blessings in the mess, I now miss the toys that have been traded out for clothes and shoes, for the crayons that have been traded for consoles and tablets, for the pick me up Mommy or help me mommy because one day it stopped and now the snuggles with a few have become harder to obtain. But then in God’s sweet fashion he pulls me up and lets me sit in his lap to hear his heartbeat and he softens the hearts of my children to allow me that one more moment to hold and love on them and as they grow, I continue to pray that they find joy and peace in their childhood and who God has made them to be.

Amie Denning