Dearest Daughter: Motherly Advice for Moms Who Need Motheringنموونە

Day Six: Ask God to Show You Your Child's Heart

Dearest Daughter,

Come to God with your questions; He will give you wisdom.

I remember a challenging season when my firstborn was little when she would come into my room at night after we put her to bed. When bedtime came, I was so tired and done with parenting that I only wanted to sleep. As you can imagine, I didn’t react to this behavior very well. I even spanked her a few times for disobeying, which always made matters worse.

I asked the Lord to show me my daughter's heart and what was really going on. Christie loved it when I put a shoe in the crack of her door to keep it open at night. Somehow, our air conditioner would maneuver the little sandal out of the door crack and close. God showed me that she kept coming into my room because she wanted me to put the sandal back, and she would even endure a spanking if I could fix the situation.

I prayed and asked God to help me be more patient, and He did! If the shoe came out and the door closed, I would fix it, but without anger. I also started looking at bedtime as a special bonding time with my children and began lying in bed with them to talk about their day. This new bedtime ritual helped form a special bond with my kids that we still enjoy today.

I am so grateful beyond words for the ever-present help of the Holy Spirit. What if I hadn’t stopped and asked God for wisdom and help? I would have continued spanking and thereby causing my daughter to be distant. I would have missed the beautiful times spent in bed at night when my children's hearts were open to me.

Dear one, does any of my story resonate with you? Do you have a child who seems to get into trouble no matter what you do? Go to God and ask Him to tell you what’s really going on. He will not disappoint! You are never alone in your parenting. As a Christ-follower, you have the wonderful Holy Spirit inside you, who will lead you in the way you should go.

Pray with me...

Lord, I need Your wisdom and Your help. Show me my child's heart and what's causing their behavior. Let me know if I am doing anything to cause distance between us. I want to be close to my child; show me how. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

I am praying for God to speak to you, dear one!

With much love and prayers,

Mama Deb (your second mom)