| As we walk this road of motherhood, our children (and our husbands!) will find innumerable ways to offend us and to seemingly focus intently on thwarting our best efforts to disciple and nurture them. Yet when we walk in love, freely giving our lives to our children (and husbands), they are able to see and wholeheartedly respond to us and the God who makes us who we are. We walk in love by pouring our sympathy on their small hurts, our encouragement on their accomplishments, our comforts in their trials, and our unfailing belief in the unique ways God has designed their personalities and abilities so that He can use them for His glory. Every day, every minute, we should be letting love determine our attitudes, words and actions toward our children.
Determining to “walk in love” with our children also frees us from the fear that they may someday fail in life. And they will fail, no matter how perfect we are, because they are human. And we will fail, too, because we are fallen. God does not ask us to be in perfect control of our children and their lives. He only asks us to emulate His model of daily, lived love for His own disciples.
–from The Mom Walk by Sally Clarkson |
