For some of you, the fond memories of sleeping babies and pre-school giggles have long been replaced with disappointments and despair. Yours are the children who no longer attend church and live a lifestyle contrary to the way you raised them.
So many children who are raised right seemingly turn out wrong. Many of them no longer call home. Some are incarcerated. If that is your situation today, can you still expect a “Happy Mother’s Day?” Oh, yes.
Forgive Yourself
Guilt and condemnation are frequent visitors in a mother’s head. Regrets rage on and try to convince you that your child’s wrongs were your fault. “Admit it,” they say, “You’re just a bad mother.” Let me tell you something! You were not a bad mother. (Even if you did everything wrong, the fact that you are reading this article proves that you want help.) Like all of us, you probably made some mistakes, but God’s redeeming love can turn them around for His glory. Most of the time, if you had known better, you would have done better, so forgive yourself and hold your head up. Mothering is not just about your performance; it’s about His performance.
Trust The Word That Is In Them
Your child hung on every word you said…until he was about twelve. By the age of twelve, the volume of other voices was turned up and the volume of the parents was turned down. This is that “stuck on stupid” phase that so many of you have experienced.
Because you brought them to church and sent them to camp, the Word of God lives in them. Even if you can’t trust them during this phase, you can trust the Word that is in them. When you can’t see any changes, the Word is still working. Remember Is. 55:10, “…So shall My Word be which goes out of My mouth, for it shall not return unto Me void, for it will accomplish that which I please, and prosper in the thing whereunto I sent it.” Meditate on Philemon 1:6 “He who began a good work in you shall complete it…”
Stephen, a 24-year-old TBI student, told me that his Happy Hour habit was ruined because he kept hearing his youth pastor’s instruction to “flee youthful lusts.” “I never could enjoy my prodigal years because I always had scriptures floating through my head.” He is a petroleum engineer today and serving as a Bible study leader in his church.
Pray The Word
When you’re discouraged about your children, it’s difficult to know how to pray. You don’t always know what God’s will is, so you can learn to pray God’s Word. What this means is that you can insert your loved one’s name into scripture and expect God to bring it to pass. Study the prayers of Paul. He didn’t pray for tangible, material things like cars and bonuses. He asked God to “give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation…” Two of my favorites can be found in Ephesians 1:17-19 and Colossians 1:9-11.
Spirit-Led Prayers
Mothers who are discouraged and disappointed have a secret arsenal: the Holy Spirit! Speaking in tongues is different from Spirit-led praying; although I believe in both. With Spirit-led praying, He will lead you to pray a certain way or a specific scripture and God will use that prayer to pave a road to repentance. I have thousands of stories to prove this. Be encouraged, dear mother. A Spirit-selected prayer opens hearts that were once tightly closed. Of course, speaking in tongues is that wonderful prayer language that keeps us fully equipped. Both are available to believers today.
Plead For Mercy
What should you do if you truly did everything wrong? Plead for mercy. What should you do if your child continues to do everything wrong? Plead for mercy. The mercy of God protects from harm. The mercy of God is everlasting. I know of a Christian mom whose son was a real risk-taker. He would ride his motorcycle and jump over parked cars. The Lord gave her this promise: “Until My wisdom abides in him, I’ll cause My mercy to hover over him.” He leads an international ministry today.
Commit Them To God and Refuse A Life of Worry
The devil wants you to stay tormented over the future of your child. Even if they are grown adults, mothers still carry their children in their hearts. I want to challenge you to “draw the line in the sand” and refuse to be destroyed by their behavior. Commit them to God, once and for all, and move on with your life. You can have a “Happy Mother’s Day” knowing that II Timothy 1:12 promises “I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him…” Your faith in His Word and trust in His character releases Him to bring it to pass, and that’s the Father’s promise to every hurting mother.
Highlight these promises:
Job 22:28-30 Amp. | Ps. 25:5 | Prv. 22:6 | Is. 55:11 | Matt. 19:26 | II Tim. 1:12 | Jms. 5:16
