Mothering With Character is a Dying Breed

This past week I was at our churches youth retreat.  It was such an incredible time and such a sweet Spirit during those services.  Seeing some of those kids worship God as though He was their Everything was so amazing and humbling at the same time. But can I just get honest…my heart hurt for them.  I want to really try and articulate what I saw and what I feel in these words that I write.

What about those kids that are doing right?

Those that have parents that love and support them in their walk with God?

What about those kids that put God first in their lives?

I can say going to the youth retreat, there are parents that can pat themselves on the back for raising (and continue to raise) amazing kids.

As I was winding down this past weekend, my heart was so heavy for us mom’s.  Mom’s that raise their kids with strong moral values.  That builds a foundation in their kids of who they are in Christ.  A mom that instills the Word of God in each of their child’s hearts.  That character goes further in life than compromise.  What about those mom’s? Have we become a dying breed?

I’ll be honest; I saw and heard things that broke my heart that we as a society have allowed our children to grow up as.

Disrespect.

Lying.

Deception.

Dating at ages of 10 or 11 years old.

Compromise.

We see these things and yet we allow it and try not to change it.  Why? Was it because of the homes we were raised in may have not been the best of homes? Is it because “those Christian standards are too strict”?  I find myself asking why.

Matthew 7:16 says, “You will know them by their fruits…”

As a mom, I know that I am not with my kids 24/7 at times. That they go to sleepovers, birthday parties and youth retreats on their own.  My job as a mom is to instill in my kids the utmost character and Christ-like standards in their lives that when they are around others, they will see and witness the fruit of my mothering tree.

When I speak to Mom or MOPS groups about character, I always talk about the verses in Jeremiah 17:7-9 (NIV).  I pray that you catch this as we talk more about parenting and character in the weeks ahead.

Jeremiah 17:7-9 –

⁷ “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. {Yes, mom’s He calls us blessed as we trust Him in this parenting thing!} ⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. {That our kids will be strong trees for God and that their roots will continually drink from the Living Water} It does not fear when heat comes {that no trial, no circumstance, no temptation will ever bring our children fear because they know Who to go to}; its leaves are always green. {Our kids are ALIVE in Christ!} 9 It has no worries in a year of drought {that when a time of famine or their financing are being attacked, they know Who their Source is} and never fails to bear fruit {that they live in love, joy, peace, etc. bearing the Fruit of His Spirit}.”

This is what parenting looks like.  At the end of our parenting, this is what our children should like.

I pray this encourages you.