Image courtesy of hisheavenlyarmies.com

The other day I was thinking, “What in the world am I going to write about? Life seems to be flowing along fairly smoothly, what would I need to share?” Ha! Why would I ever wonder? Something always comes along, something always happens. That’s life, right? And then I think, wow, I bet there are other moms out there going through this very thing. I bet they feel as alone and discouraged as me sometimes. Guess what? You’re not alone. You’ve got this very imperfect mama to walk along with you. I don’t have the answers, but I’ll put my arm around your shoulders and say, “I get it. I’m there too.”

Have you ever in your life recognized a sin that just keeps cropping up and you just can’t seem to shake it? We’ve been having the same trouble with one of our kids since he could speak. And he loves to speak. He has a propensity to lie and it has been there as long as I can remember. They come quick and easy and he’s believable. Sometimes I don’t think he’s doing it to be mean or hurtful, it’s just so easy. Other times I think he just wants to avoid a lecture or consequence. And then there’s times I think it’s methodically thought through, but those are few and far between. Mostly, he just has a gift for words and speech and hasn’t fully learned to use it wisely yet.

The problem is, though, that when he lies it makes me feel like dirt. It makes me feel hurt and as if he doesn’t care one bit about our relationship. It makes me angry and frustrated and sad. It makes me cry. And it makes it really, really hard to trust anything that comes out of his mouth.

Yesterday evening I discovered something he had lied straight to my face about. I was so furious I couldn’t do anything but stomp around the house and cry. I wanted to scream! We’d just been through this a couple weeks ago. I thought the talks then had sunk in, but no, here we were all over again! He was lucky he wasn’t around at the time. I know full well had he been home anger and hate and cruel words would have issued forth from my mouth unchecked and then I would have had things to regret too.

But I had a few hours to think, pray, and cool off a bit. I also asked some close friends to pray, because I had no idea how to even deal with it.

When he got home we talked late into the night and I came to this realization. This child has been given some very powerful and unique gifts from the Lord. I know I wouldn’t have come to that conclusion in the midst of anger. I needed time to see it. This kid genuinely loves people, all people. He loves to be with people, he loves to joke and talk and socialize with others. And he has a gift for words and speech. And maybe most powerful of all, he has the ability to influence others very easily.

God is so good to reveal gifts in the midst of hardship! All too often, I look at the negative. But because God ordained my evening to go the way it did, giving me time to think and calm down, I saw things I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. I saw the good in my child. I saw the gifts God gave him to use for His kingdom. And I shared that with my child.

I told him, “I don’t know God’s plan for you and your future, but with the gifts he’s given you, it’s something big. He’s got huge plans for you in His kingdom work. We may not know it yet but He’ll reveal it in His time. For now you have to realize that God knows those plans and that’s why he gave you the gifts He did. The problem is Satan sees those gifts too and he’ll do whatever he can to stop you from living for God. There is a massive war waging right now for your heart and your future. And every time you lie, you let Satan have a little more of the battle.”

Don’t think we didn’t talk through the lying and consequences too. Oh, that happened. Rest assured. But ending our conversation focused on the fact that God has a plan for him changed his perspective and mine.

Remember, there is a war waged for your children’s hearts and futures. Each of your children was placed in your family very purposefully. Each of them was given gifts that need to be honed and trained so they are used for His glory and not theirs. Each of them has a purpose on this earth.

Fight the war.

Go to battle for your children.

Teach them how to battle.

Don’t let Satan have their hearts.

Ephesians 6: 10-13

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.