The things you have learned and received

and heard and seen in me,

practice these things,

and the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:9 NAS

“Oh, Lord! Make me to be a spiritual wife and a godly mother! Don’t let my inadequacies, my inhibitions, or my faults limit my child’s knowledge of You!”

How many times have I uttered that prayer? “His knowledge of You…” and Sunday school and church won’t suffice. Our children are coming know just what Christ is like as they observe us every moment of the day.

The proverb says to “Train up a child in the way he should go…” (Pro. 22:6). How do you “train” someone? You let him work with you, show him how it is done correctly. You take his hand and let it rest on yours as you guide him in the proper procedure for accomplishing the goal. You let him put his hands on yours as you push the lawnmower or use the clippers. You point out his mistakes, but you make sure that he has a successful experience so that he gets the “feel” of doing it right! You pull up the kitchen ladder and let your little girl crack the eggs, put in the vanilla, or stir the Jiffy Corn Muffin mix. You let her set the table with your nice china for that special birthday supper. You don’t go buy three yards of expensive material, a pattern, some scissors, a tracing wheel, pins, and chalk and say, “There you go! Make a dress, sweetheart!”

If my child’s knowledge of God is limited to his experience on Sunday, then my child’s knowledge of God is not adequate for living! We, as parents, are training our daughter how to be a godly wife and a spiritual mother. We are training her how to love her husband… how to react in pressure situations… how to allow Christ to perform through her. We are painting a picture for our sons of a loving, tender husband who protects, shields, and encourages his wife. We are painting a picture of the woman who will one day be the wife your sons will cherish and of the man who will allow Christ to be all your daughter needs him to be.

That’s pretty heavy stuff, isn’t it? Can you do that? Of course you can’t! But who do you have living IN you who can ace that job? Yes. You are absolutely right. Christ, Himself.

So, I pray again, “Oh, Lord! Make me to be a spiritual wife and a godly mother! Don’t let my inadequacies, my inhibitions, or my faults limit my child’s knowledge of You!”