To raise Godly men
I wanted boys, so very badly. Of course, if either of my pregnancies were to have produced a girl, she would have been loved as outrageously as Trey and Aden. But oh, when I thought of motherhood, I dreamed of having boys. Can't even really explain why. Didn't know much about boys. Just wanted them.
How I praise the Lord for granting my heart's desire, for whatever reason He did.
And they're here, and they're sweet and exhausting and oh so frustrating and oh so much fun. But along with all of that comes the daunting task of raising them. Not just making sure they stay alive, which, at least in Aden's case, is nearly a full time job. Not just feeding them and keeping their clothes clean and teaching them not to burp (or worse) in public.
But really raising them.
God gave these two to us, entrusted us with them, and has instructed us to help them grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Just like His own son.
I could see this as not being an insurmountable task if we could somehow go off the grid - no media, no shoes, growing our own granola and stuff. But the world. It's a gauntlet. Everything about this world wants us to fail. Wants them to fail. It is crouching outside our door, waiting to devour these precious boys with its self-centeredness, entitlement, and agnosticism.
It is war. Spiritual warfare has never been more real to me than when I look at my sons.
And I will fight for them.
For these few impressionable years that we have Trey and Aden to ourselves, we are asking God for wisdom to show them truth and the importance of choice, and to teach them to trust Him. Our prayers over them, spoken aloud in their presence every day, are that they will come to salvation, and that God will grow them into strong and courageous men who follow Him completely.
Lately our devotion time has been deepening, as Trey seems to be grasping more and more of God's word. On Friday night, he grabbed a devotion book he got for Christmas, Jesus Calling for kids. (Thanks, Nana!) Typically we let each boy choose a verse to read or quote, then Brandon or I read a short passage and explain how it applies to life. Trey asked if, instead of that, he could read the lesson from his book.
He was going to read a day from earlier in January, but I, having not looked at the book myself, told him to read the page for the current day, because God often schedules His words to us for a time when we need them.
The verse for the 16th was Joshua 1:9, which is our favorite "do not fear" in the Bible. Also the source of my "strong and courageous" prayer over the boys. And then he read the lesson:
Don't forget that I am always with you. I will give you all the strength and courage you need to face whatever challenges come your way.
I will turn your worries and your fears into confidence and trust.
Hallelujah. First, to have God completely come through on the which-day-to-read thing. But mostly, this was exactly what Trey needed to hear, and for him to realize that God was speaking directly to him... What a moment. Praise, praise the Lord.
It's not insurmountable, the task of raising Godly men. Because my God can surmount anything. And He is with us in this. More than with us, He's ahead of us and lighting the way. There is hope.
Hope. As Trey read his NIrV version of Joshua 1:9 at the beginning of that same devotion time, he slapped his hand down on the table and said, "That's it! That's my word." And even before we got to the lesson, he had grabbed a post-it note to display his word on the fridge, right next to mine. His note says, "Do not lose HOPE."
Amen, son. Yep, Trey is going to be leading devotions a lot more often around here. And as soon as he is able to read well, Aden will do the same. Because one day, Lord willing, they will be the spiritual leaders in their own homes. Strong, courageous, Godly men.
How I praise the Lord for granting my heart's desire, for whatever reason He did.
And they're here, and they're sweet and exhausting and oh so frustrating and oh so much fun. But along with all of that comes the daunting task of raising them. Not just making sure they stay alive, which, at least in Aden's case, is nearly a full time job. Not just feeding them and keeping their clothes clean and teaching them not to burp (or worse) in public.
But really raising them.
God gave these two to us, entrusted us with them, and has instructed us to help them grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Just like His own son.
I could see this as not being an insurmountable task if we could somehow go off the grid - no media, no shoes, growing our own granola and stuff. But the world. It's a gauntlet. Everything about this world wants us to fail. Wants them to fail. It is crouching outside our door, waiting to devour these precious boys with its self-centeredness, entitlement, and agnosticism.
It is war. Spiritual warfare has never been more real to me than when I look at my sons.
And I will fight for them.
For these few impressionable years that we have Trey and Aden to ourselves, we are asking God for wisdom to show them truth and the importance of choice, and to teach them to trust Him. Our prayers over them, spoken aloud in their presence every day, are that they will come to salvation, and that God will grow them into strong and courageous men who follow Him completely.
Lately our devotion time has been deepening, as Trey seems to be grasping more and more of God's word. On Friday night, he grabbed a devotion book he got for Christmas, Jesus Calling for kids. (Thanks, Nana!) Typically we let each boy choose a verse to read or quote, then Brandon or I read a short passage and explain how it applies to life. Trey asked if, instead of that, he could read the lesson from his book.
He was going to read a day from earlier in January, but I, having not looked at the book myself, told him to read the page for the current day, because God often schedules His words to us for a time when we need them.
The verse for the 16th was Joshua 1:9, which is our favorite "do not fear" in the Bible. Also the source of my "strong and courageous" prayer over the boys. And then he read the lesson:
Don't forget that I am always with you. I will give you all the strength and courage you need to face whatever challenges come your way.
I will turn your worries and your fears into confidence and trust.
Hallelujah. First, to have God completely come through on the which-day-to-read thing. But mostly, this was exactly what Trey needed to hear, and for him to realize that God was speaking directly to him... What a moment. Praise, praise the Lord.
It's not insurmountable, the task of raising Godly men. Because my God can surmount anything. And He is with us in this. More than with us, He's ahead of us and lighting the way. There is hope.
Hope. As Trey read his NIrV version of Joshua 1:9 at the beginning of that same devotion time, he slapped his hand down on the table and said, "That's it! That's my word." And even before we got to the lesson, he had grabbed a post-it note to display his word on the fridge, right next to mine. His note says, "Do not lose HOPE."
Amen, son. Yep, Trey is going to be leading devotions a lot more often around here. And as soon as he is able to read well, Aden will do the same. Because one day, Lord willing, they will be the spiritual leaders in their own homes. Strong, courageous, Godly men.
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