Stacie's Oct Devotion: Godly Parenting

Godly Parenting

Dear Mothers,

I was reading the Bible one morning and I came across some wonderful nuggets in Micah. I honestly didn’t know how much I would get out of reading this minor prophet, but I found that God has something to say to mothers in this book.
The first nugget was “Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul”? -Micah 6:7b. God is telling us that the life of our children is precious. He hated that His people in the Bible days sometimes practiced the evil art of sacrificing their firstborn children. They thought that it would save them from their sins or bring them “luck”. It was considered the “ultimate sacrifice” back then.
The last part of that verse, “The fruit of my body” was a sweet reminder of how God views our children. If he considers our children “The fruit of my body”, then I need to think of them the same way. Many people ask why Steve and I want to have a large family. This is the main reason. We consider them “the fruit” of our lives. The only thing we will take with us when we leave this world is our redeemed souls and the redeemed souls of our children. We consider them a blessing and not a hindrance. It is not an easy life, but God gives us strength and has miraculously provided for our needs many times. I would like you to view your children as the “fruit” of our bodies today. It will change your attitude if you are struggling with a difficult situation.
The other nugget I found was when I kept reading this wonderful book. Micah 6:8 says, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” How can we apply this? So many moms call me and ask me, “What should I do, my child is doing such and such?” We can go to the Word. God says He will show us what is good! So let’s break this down.

He requires us to act justly. This means we need to judge situations fairly and without partiality. Many times one child is acting up more then the other. I make unfair and rash judgments when I don’t think things through and that child gets blamed for more then he or she actually did. We need to pray before we punish. This means that it’s OK to tell you children that you need a few minutes to think about the situation.

He wants us to love mercy. Many times when our children deserve a punishment God leads us to give mercy instead. This shouldn’t be all the time; otherwise our children would go wild! But if you are in tune with the Holy Spirit, He will guide you to give mercy to teach a sweet lesson on how our God deals with us.

He wants us to walk humbly with your God. If you can do this, walk with humility before God, you will be able to admit when you are wrong to God and to your children. You will have a more peaceful life if you do this. Your children will see that Mom makes mistakes too, and they will be taught to forgive as they long to be forgiven. The moment I think I’m doing “pretty good” at this mom-thing, is the moment that I fall flat on my face! I have to be humble. I have to remember that my strength comes from God. I am but a weak vessel that has amazing potential because of God’s grace and mercy. He is the one that gets the glory for any of my victories.

So there you have it. Who knew Micah would be speaking to moms in this day and age! Go with God and present your lives as living sacrifices to our Savior. Serve your family with humility, mercy and love. He will BLESS you, immeasurably!

From One Mom to Another,

Stacie Brown
Wife to Steve
Mother to Joshua, Marcus, Jessica, Andrew, Jacob and another Baby due in April.