With the help of God, we will.

Last weekend we had our youngest son baptised. I found the service overwhelmingly powerful as our family, friends and church family joined with us to welcome our son into the Christian faith. After the Vicar had baptised him, he said these words:

Christ claims you for his own. Receive the sign of the cross. Do not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified.

The congregation then joins in: fight valiantly as a disciple of Christ against sin, the world and the devil, and remain faithful to Christ to the end of your life.

Powerful words right? And a lot to ask of a 6 month old! Except, it has dawned on me as I've reflected on this over the last week, that these words, although a prayer for my son throughout his life, are also directed at me. Because how else is my son going to know how to be a disciple of Christ other than through the example of his parents?

I am aware that I'm only human and that there are many many times when I will not show my children what it means to be a good disciple, and for those times I am grateful for God's love and His grace that is much more far reaching than needing to rely only on me to do His work. However, I took a vow during that baptism service: to pray for my son, draw him by my example into the community of faith and help him to take his place within the life and worship of the church. 

So just going to church on a Sunday isn't enough then, I guess! Maybe taking him to church on a Sunday and a couple of Christian toddler groups during the week? Or maybe God is calling me, and all of us who are Christian parents, to really live out our faith in a way that our children pick up on. Maybe He is calling us to pray unceasingly for our children, that they may be protected from the evil in this world and grow up knowing the love of their Heavenly Father as well as that of their earthly mother and father. Maybe He is calling us to understand the huge responsibility He places on us when He gives His precious children into our care.

And maybe God is calling on us to call on Him for help and guidance in fulfilling the roles he has placed us in. As we seek to raise our children in ways that are pleasing to God, we do so knowing that we are not alone, but that we have God with us; the greatest example of a Father there ever is. 

Out of the mouths of babes....

Today, God spoke to me in a way so clear that I could not fail to hear Him. He spoke to me through a prayer that my two year old son prayed and, in doing so, He reminded me that He knows me, loves me and is with me always. 

To put things in context, I have found the last few weeks hard work. There's been nothing in particular that should make it so, but daily life has at times felt like a bit of a struggle: I guess it is probably just a combination of the daily juggling act that is looking after two small boys, and all the cooking, cleaning, shopping, and washing that goes with that. 

Everything is fine when we are out and about or with other people, but I have started to find the mornings and lunchtimes particularly difficult as I try and juggle looking after the children and meeting their needs with the things that need doing around the house, along with trying to get the three of us ready to go out to groups or visit friends. Everything just seems a bit never-ending! And as a result of all this I have started to find myself less patient with my children, particularly my two year old when he is doing what two year olds do best and being demanding!

Yesterday I spent the evening wallowing in self-pity, focusing on what I've not been doing right, or on the things that I'm finding hard. Hubby was doing his best to reassure me, but somehow his encouragements weren't sinking in. 

Fast forward to this morning and my son had found his book of children's prayers so we sat down together for a couple of minutes to read a prayer for the day. I asked him if he would like to say his own prayer too. He did. His prayer brought tears to my eyes as it was the closest thing to God giving me a hug that I could get. God took the things that were getting me down and completely turned them on their heads.

It reminded me how much God wants to speak and encourage us in what we are doing, particularly when we find things plain hard work. In whatever we do, I think it's amazing that we believe in a God who knows us so well, He can speak into our hearts in a way that stops us dead in our tracks and demands our attention as He tells us He loves us and is with us. 

The prayer my son prayed? "Thank you Jesus for Mummy."

"I will" not "I would have done"...

The other day I came across the following poem which I thought followed on nicely from my last blog post. 

It'd be easy I think to read it and feel guilty about what we have failed to do today, or this week, with our children. But my intention is not to have us all wallowing in guilt. The reality of family life is that there are always jobs to be done and other things that need our attention: we cannot be super-mum all of the time, but we can, I believe, all be a super mum some of the time. And this poem when I read it encouraged me to live in the present, to enjoy my children and to take time for them to enjoy being with me. 

If I Had My Child to Raise Over Again

by Diane Loomans

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd build self esteem first, and the house later.
I'd fingerpaint more, and point the finger less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less and know to care more.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging and less tugging.
I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I'd model less about the love of power,
And more about the power of love.

Instead of reading this poem in the past tense and living with regret, how much more powerful would it be, I wonder, if it were in the future tense; a statement of intent, not for every minute of every day because that would be unrealistic, but for snatched wonderful moments of each day.