CONFRONTING WORRY ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN AND FRIENDS

CONFRONTING WORRY ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN AND FRIENDS

The mechanic didn’t call me right away about my “baby car” and I started to worry. I can’t even imagine how you parents are tempted to worry about your children. There’s two things that can help stop our minds from spiraling downward. First: The Word of God. It doesn’t take a lot of scriptures; it just takes the right ones. Isaiah 54:13 says: “And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.” What does that mean?

It means that the Lord is their teacher, whether He works through you or someone else, or circumstances or in any other way, He will do it if you can believe it. You are not their savior, Jesus is! God has entrusted them to you, but you have to pray for them, believing that the Lord is around them and with them every day to care for, guide and instruct. If I were a parent, I’d be praying this scripture every morning over my children and every night too. And the second half of the verse also: “Great shall be the peace of [my] children.” 

I also suggest Psalm 91:11-12 “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Stones are in the physical realm, so this scripture is telling us that angles are available to keep your children (and you too) from being tripped up by physical things. You can name a great number of possible stumbling blocks, such as bullies, bad friends, bad habits, bad health, etc. Angels’ jobs are to minister for you, so use their abilities like the scripture says, to keep an eye on your children and keep them from tripping up. Of course we can pray this scripture for other family members and friends too.

Lastly, this is a great verse for parents (maybe I should have listed this one first!): “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). You can say, “God I give You my anxiety today because You care about me and You can take care of the stress. Thank you so much. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

I said there were two things needed to get rid of worry. The first is to believe what God says in the scriptures and pray the ones that work for you. The second important thing is to talk to your children. And I don’t mean telling them how much you worry. That will only enforce the negative. But instead, ask them questions about what’s going on in their lives. Listen with your heart to their answers. And be bold enough to pray with them.

I didn’t pray with my mechanic, but I did pray a verse I found in the gospels about transportation and then I called him and was totally at ease. My baby truck was going to get fixed. I believe your kids will be okay too, if you pray the scriptures over them and love them. The Lord will even show us different ways to express our love, if we are listening.

When was the last time you read some of First Corinthians 13, the chapter on love? I hadn’t read it in a while, but when I did today, it really inspired and blessed me.

The Excellence of Love

“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love [for others growing out of God’s love for me], then I have become only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal [just an annoying distraction].

And if I have the gift of prophecy [and speak a new message from God to the people], and understand all mysteries, and [possess] all knowledge; and if I have all [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love [reaching out to others], I am nothing.

If I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it does me no good at all.

Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant.

It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured.

It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening].

Love never fails [it never fades nor ends]” (1 Cor. 13:1-8).

Love, Carolyn

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MOTHERS WHO PRAY

I know my mom prays for us kids. If it wasn’t for her prayer and believing, we probably wouldn’t have made it this far. She told me that when I was little I once followed a dog down the street and she had to call the police to help find me. Then another time I drank a bottle of her perfume and she had to rush me to the hospital. When I was older I put my mom through even more drama. I remember a time when I was freaking out in an old downtown building in Chicago and my mom drove her VW Beetle forty miles in a snow and ice storm to come get me. My mom has always been a big one for prayer and trusting God.

I want to relate another story about a mother who trusted God. Her name is Hagar. We find her story in Genesis 16, 20 and 21. Abraham was married to Sarah and Hagar was Sarah’s maid. When Sarah couldn’t conceive she came up with the idea that if Abraham could impregnate Hagar, somehow the child would be considered hers. I don’t get it, but that’s what they decided and it caused big problems. As soon as Hagar got pregnant, Sarah was jealous and outraged and treated Hagar horribly. Hagar fled, but on God’s urging, she went back and submitted herself to Sarah’s domination. Relationships may have improved slightly, but there was still bitterness and strife in the household.

Abraham’s entourage travelled through the deserts together as a group for the next thirteen years. By this time Sarah had conceived and given birth to Isaac. All of them lived together in the same group of tents: Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Hagar and Ishmael. (Do we really think our “complicated” family dynamics are so modern?) As we’d expect, there was more drama brewing.

One day when Ishmael was fourteen Sarah overheard him making fun of her son Isaac. It must have been the last straw because she threw him and his mother out. Hagar was devastated. Back then if you were thrown out it wasn’t like you could just go to stay with a friend. These people were nomads. They lived in a tent city, travelling from place to place according to the water supply. There was harsh desert all around them. So when Sarah threw them out, they had to find a way to survive in the wilderness or they’d die. Abraham was able to sneak them one bottle of water and some bread but when that was gone life was over. Hagar wandered in the desert desperately looking for help. But a person can only last about three days without water and there were two of them. They’d come to the end.

“When the water was gone she left the youth in the shade of a bush and went off and sat down a hundred yards or so away. ‘I don’t want to watch him die,’ she said, and burst into tears, sobbing wildly.
Then God heard the boy crying, and the Angel of God called to Hagar from the sky, ‘Hagar, what’s wrong? Don’t be afraid! For God has heard the lad’s cries as he is lying there. Go and get him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants.’
Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well; so she refilled the canteen and gave the lad a drink. And God blessed the boy and he grew up” (Gen 21:15-20).

Hagar knew God. She prayed to Him and cried out to Him. She taught her son to do likewise. God “heard the lad’s cries” and saved them both. To mothers this should be a great comfort. When you’ve done your best, you don’t have to be afraid that you haven’t done enough. God thinks you have and He will be there to step in directly for your children when you can’t. GOD IS THERE FOR THEM.

God has given special abilities to mothers and we’re thankful for all of you. Have a great Mother’s Day.

Love, Carolyn

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