C. S. Lewis once said something like this, "Children are not a distraction from the work, they are the most important work." I go back to this as a constant reminder that my housework (cooking, cleaning, laundry), though important, is not my calling, even as a homemaker/housewife/stay-at-home-Momma.
My children are my calling.
Raising them in the admonition of the Lord, raising them to be servants of Jesus Christ, raising them to be the kind of Christian that the world has not compromised...this is my calling.
And as a part of my calling, arguably the most important part of my calling as a Momma, even more important that making sure they eat their vegetables and wash behind their ears, is in leading them to accept Christ as their personal Savior. Not lead them in an empty prayer or a false profession, but lead them by my actions, my words, my service, my worship, my prayers, my love.
My children are very young, (6.5, 5, and 1 in just a few days), and some might ask me why their salvation at such an early age is so important. And I would say this, because the foundation must first be laid. Their lives have to be built upon Christ as the solid rock, otherwise they'll sink in the sand that the world will do its utmost to bury them in.
And to be perfectly honest, I can think of no greater fear than to know one's child isn't saved. To raise a child to the age of accountability (which I believe is personal and different for every child), without having first laid the foundation for them to know and accept Jesus, is terrifying to me. How could I as a mother, raise my children and then send them out in the world each and every day without the protection, mercy, and grace of a Savior? In my mind that is tantamount to neglect, child abuse, even hatred. Because to raise my children without the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ is to raise them to reject Him and to condemn them to an eternity in hell.
We recently made the decision to send our boys to public school in the fall. This came after a year of successful but lacking homeschooling and a whole lot of prayer. But after meeting some of the local parents and children through baseball this past spring, the Lord helped to settle in our hearts that our small elementary school, the smallest in the county in fact, would treat our boys well and love them like their own. So I set about gathering what was needed to get them registered for school and the Lord moved in and did the rest.
What does that mean exactly? Well, He began a work in the hearts of my boys and each of them accepted Christ as their Savior this summer, Devlin in June (his story is in the previous post) and Kieran just a few nights ago. He came to us at bedtime, with a big ole grin on his face, and told us that he was ready to pray and ask God to save him! This was after a very heartfelt talk the day before when he had climbed up in my lap in tears and told me that he believed with all his heart that Jesus was real and that He had died for him on cross, but that he wasn't ready to get saved yet. He was so matter of fact about it when he came to us that we knew that the Lord had settled it in his heart that he needed to be saved. It was so unlike Devlin's experience. So unique to Kieran and his personality. It was perfect and sweet and thrilling to hear him pray and ask God to come into his heart and save him!
My Savior and Comforter made sure that before my boys went out from under Momma's wings, that they were wrapped firmly and securely in the protection of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost!
Does that mean that they'll go through this life "bullet-proof" so to speak? Of course not. But it does mean that they each have the knowledge and the love of Jesus Christ to guide them through this world, to remain separate and on the straight and narrow path.
Does this mean that my job as Momma is done, that my calling is fulfilled? Of course not. Not only do I still have a baby that must come to accept Christ as her Savior some day, but I now have two newborn Christians to nourish with The Word. It is safe to say that my job, my calling, will never be fulfilled, and I am as grateful for that as I am that the Lord saved my boys this summer, because it will keep me on my knees in prayer and in His Word learning more about my Savior.
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