Every season of motherhood offers new challenges and new chances for us
to grow in our trust in God. When our children first come to us, our
prayers are often for strength — strength to stay up one. more. night.
with a sick child. Strength for the toddler-taming years. Strength to
meet the physical demands of having little ones at your feet while
juggling a home and a marriage and your responsibilities.
It’s tempting to feel like we’re in control when our kids are little. After all, we set the schedule, right?
Things feel a little less in our control (because they are!), and we
need wisdom. We need to trust that God will give us the right
combination of grace and discipline to get to the root of heart issues
rather than just concentrating on external behavior.
In the teen years and beyond, the season changes yet again. There are
new challenges, new fears, and new opportunities to release our children
so they can pursue God’s amazing plans for them. And we have even less
control. I’ve poured out my heart to God many times as my children have
stood at the precipice of adulthood because I realize even more acutely
that the trajectory-setting decisions they’re making now are theirs
alone.
In many ways, the teen years are the final stage of the parenting process.
You go from clay (so to speak) to kiln, where the clay is set and ready
to be baked and glazed. No wonder so many mothers of teens have that
“glazed” look in their eyes!
It’s humbling to realize that your years of greatest influence and
physical presence are coming to an end. But exciting years lie ahead,
because the power of your prayers is just beginning to be realized! When
mothers begin the season of launching their arrows into the world, an
entire new kind of trust is required: trust that God hears and answers
our prayers.
During this season, there are a few areas that are totally in your
control. You get to choose to be surrendered to God. You get to choose
to spend time in His Word. You get to choose to pray for your children.
God’s love for His children is fierce. It’s tenacious. It’s powerful.
It’s real. And when you pray for your children, heaven is moved into
action.
Precious mom, did you know that there’s power in your prayers?
burdens to Him, He promises to help us pray with power: “The Holy Spirit
helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us
to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot
be expressed in words” (Romans 8:26).
Did you catch that? The Holy Spirit prays for us. Now there’s something
every mom needs — the Holy Spirit Himself going to God on our behalf.
God is literally saying that the Holy Spirit will pray for us when we
are weak. Whether you’re struggling with unbelief, doubt, fear, or
sickness, His promise is the same. God wants to meet you right where you
are. The key is to spend time with Him and learn to live in His
presence. That’s when we experience His peace.
When it’s all said and done, a MomStrong mom doesn’t trust in her own abilities; she trusts in a strong, sovereign God.
Precious mom, I know how hard it is to trust the Lord’s plan when it
unfolds so differently from the agenda we’ve so carefully mapped out.
But in God’s hands, the trials that threaten to bring us down are the
very things that can build our trust in Him.
You don’t have to perfect in this journey of faith; you just have to be honest.
overcome my unbelief!” The stakes are high — for yourself and for your
children.
When was the last time your children saw you on your knees before the
Lord? Do they know from the way you live your life that God is
trustworthy? Do they see you trusting God? Becoming MomStrong means that
we learn to let go of the wheel because we would rather have God be in
control than our own flesh.
[written by Heidi St. John]
