Ugh Teenagers!!

    For me, I have always looked at parents that have successfully raised their children to love the Lord for guidance and ideas. If someone was trying to give me advice and their children were trying to build their testimony, I really didn't pay much attention. I made a comment to a godly woman that had raised 3 lovely godly daughters. I said how I was dreading my 2 young elementary aged` children becoming teenagers. She looked at me and replied that I should cherish these times and embrace those years in my children's lives. She preceded to tell me that this is when their lives are formed the most for adulthood and this is when they grow in the Lord and need our guidance the most.


     I am so thankful to that godly woman for those words because they changed my life!! From then on I was a better mommy and decided to embrace all those hormones that will be rampant in my home. I decide to embrace the teenage years! I will admit, the concept was very foreign to me and it made more aware of my attitudes to my children. I also knew I ned to listen to my children and not judge them for their choices.

    Teenagers need to be balanced and the fights need to be of your picking not your child's. My daughter and I have had under 8 arguments and whenever we have started we both back down and retreat for a while to think things through before we converse again. We return with cool heads and are able to talk and listen to each other. 


     Those words, embrace your children's teenage years , was probably the best advice I ever listened to! I think the reality of raising teens was I was scared they would pull away from me and not like me anymore. Those fears vanished when I chose to embrace the teenager years and listen to my kiddos. When we listen to our kiddos and not just tell them what to do, they feel they have value. When you listen to them, you have a wonderful opportunity to help them get to the correct outcome of most problems that come up.


     I encourage you today to embrace the teenage years and respect your children so they don't shut you out!!

I Love Jesus More than I Love You!!!

       I love Jesus more than I love you! The first time I told my children that, my daughter started to cry. She was about 5 years old and did not understand the concept of putting Jesus first and foremost in our lives. As parents, it is our job, to lead by example, and put Jesus first and above all else in our life. As a new Christian, I had a hard time understanding this new concept to live by.


       What does it mean to love Jesus more than anyone else in your life? When we ask ourselves, where does all good and pure love come from? We answer Jesus. So, in order to love our children we need to love Jesus more and in that agape love, HE fills us with love for others. A love that suppresses all understanding and allows us to even forgive our enemies. This is the love we are to teach our children about!


      Putting Jesus first in our lives is not always the easiest path we take, but it is the most rewarding. Putting Jesus first means putting ourselves and our selfish-vain desires last. Some people may call you lazy or indecisive, and you should be when Jesus is making decisions for you!


     After the first time, I told my kiddos I loved Jesus more, they would tell me they love Jesus more than they love me. I have to admit, I didn't like it at first, being second to someone else in my kiddos lives. It made me a little uncomfortable and my children took note of it and told me regularly they loved Jesus more. After all, I was both mom and dad to them! When I got over myself, I was blessed that they understood we are to put Jesus first in our lives.

      I encourage you to tell your children you love Jesus more, it is a great ice breaker, and will develop into some memorable and productive conversations with your children.

Our Chilren Belong to Jesus First!

     Yesterday, I was reminded of just how true this statement really is. It is a strange thing to think of our children as our brothers and sisters in Christ, but that is exactly what we are suppose to raise them to be. Our job as mom is to make sure that we train them in the way of the Lord and teach them diligently about our Savior. Yesterday, I got news that a teenager I knew as a child has cancer and the doctors state that there is nothing else they can do for him.


     This got me thinking about the short amount of time we really have to train our children and how heart breaking it would be to not know where they will spend eternity. The good news is the young man I talked about, does have a relationship with HIS savior and the parents can have a peace, through heart break and tears, that they will see their son again.


    Our children do not have the luxury of time to return to the Lord as prodigals that we had. We are in the end times and the generation that saw Israel become a state are elderly, and the Bible states that this generation will see Jesus return for HIS children. 

Mat 24:34	"Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
Mar 13:30	"Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
Luk 21:32	"Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.

     It is so important for us to know this, that it is in three of the Gospels. We need to take the Salvation of our children seriously stay on our knees in prayer for the Salvation of their souls.

     If we have a prodigal child we need to pray without ceasing and diligently for their Salvation. I would also ask everyone to pray for them and fill pout the prayer cards at church. Never give up and decide to just sit and wait for your child to return to the fold of Jesus!!