Trying Times and Raising Arrows

As our family continues to grow, we’re almost always met with comments about today’s society and the state this world is currently in. A lot of people are afraid to raise children in today’s society, and rightfully so. This world is so broken, and everything has changed since my own childhood, not too long ago. As a mom, I understand every worry we have for our children and the world they are growing up in, but there’s a lot more to be done besides just worrying about it, and not having kids is not the answer.

Firstly, it’s my job to protect my kids from evil. Obviously that’s a huge undertaking, but it starts with the small things at home. Throughout my refining process, God has convicted me in a lot of little things I never noticed I was doing or partaking in.  Most of those convictions came from the things I was consuming. No, I’m not talking about the evil of McDonald’s, here. I’m talking about the things I allowed to enter my heart, through my eyes and ears.  Whether it was music or movies, there were things entering my heart and mind that were not glorifying God. Once again, this was a hard lesson for me and I was stubborn to quit consuming these things. I didn’t want my kids hearing about sex and drugs from the speakers of the car, so why was I listening to it? I didn’t want my kids watching somebody be murdered on the TV in our living room, so why was I watching it? The Lord opened my eyes to see that He loves me and wants to protect me in the same way that I love and want to protect my children. If it’s not good or wholesome enough for my kids, then it’s not good or wholesome enough for me either. I can’t control what we will see and hear in public, but I can control what is consumed in our home.  We swapped cable for subscriptions and shows that were on demand without commercials. We blocked content we weren’t comfortable with them seeing or playing on their tablets, and I switched all of the radio station settings in my van to gospel music. It is my responsibility to make our home a safe haven for my family. A place free from the evils that surround us in the world. I can’t serve the Lord and my family when I’m letting sin pour in from every screen and speaker. Protecting my children’s innocence is a full time job, and it’s an important one. It’s important that my kids know what the Bible says about something, before they know what (insert current pop star here) says about it.  If I’m going to teach my children biblical truths, I need to know and live them out myself. 

Secondly, it’s my job to train up my children to be soldiers for the Lord’s army. I know that sounds harsh, but hear me out.  Each day, in the ordinary and mundane moments of raising babies, I’m shining my light for Jesus so my kids can see. My ultimate hope for my children isn’t for them to become doctors and lawyers,  but for their salvation. My life’s work will be accomplished if my children one day will walk with the Lord and have a personal relationship with him. I can’t choose this path for them, it’s something they each have to decide on their own. In a world that is growing colder and more dangerous by the minute, I rest in this truth: my kids were made, for such a time as this.  God knows everything about my babies, and the world they’ve been born into is no surprise to Him. He knitted them together in my womb to be born exactly when they were born, so that one day they will rise up to whatever evils they may face, and stand strong against it, rooted in God’s truth.  

I’m not afraid to be a Christian in this day and age, because God created me for such a time as this, the same way he created my children, and will create any more children he blesses us with.  If anything, the state of our world is an ever-present reminder of just how important my job is as a Christian mom.  

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: And the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; So are children of the youth.
Psalm 127:3‭-‬4 KJV