Growing Kids - Not Grass

Mother of All Mothers, Part 2
As I stated in the last blog, Mary's life as the mother of Jesus Christ can teach us much about being great mothers. This young maiden is a loud example of what it means to trust God. Remember her place in life when Gabriel visited her to tell her of the call God had on her? She was a teenage virgin girl, betrothed to Joseph. She knew she would face shame and reproach for being unwed and pregant, and that by law Joseph could put her out and not marry her. There was a strong likelihood that she would be disowned by her family. But she willingly accepted God's call, responding with, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." Luke 1:38. The next nine months, she carried her son, knowing that she would give birth to the Savior of mankind, that she would have to one day release Him into the hands of God. She would not release Him into the arms a woman who would be his wife, to have children and give her grandchildren, but to give His life to bring salvation to a lost and dying world. She was like you and me, pressing Him into her breast as she fed him, holding Him on her lap as he slept, watching Him play as a boy, and grow into His daddy's helper in the carpenter's shop. The day would come when she had to let Him go to fulfill His God ordained destiny. I don't believe Mary wasted time on unimportant things, or pushed Jesus aside to do her own thing. I believe she cherished every moment she had with Him and spent her life as a mother with her eyes and heart on Almighty God, drawing strength, courage, and peace from Him. I believe if she could sit across the table from us over a hot cup of tea or coffee, she would tell us to love our kids, spend time with  them, that they are gifts from God, with God ordained purposes. She would tell us to hold them with open hands, releasing them to be who God calls them to be. Mary would plead with us to make the most of the time we have with our children, because all too soon they are grown and on their own.
The day after the last of our four kids, Cody Joe, married, and all our friends and family had gone home, I laid down in bed and began to weep as a panic swept over me. I realized that my role as a mother as I had known it  for well over half of my life, was over. All our kids were married and someone else had taken my place of "first" in their lives. As I cried in my husband's arms, and he listened as I talked it out, I realized that a new chapter was beginning. Days of patching my kids skinned knees, refereeing sibling wars, drying the eyes of a brokenhearted teenager, picking out prom dresses, watching little legs run across the finish line or score a goal, hearing the words, "Mama, I'm in love", as I clutched my hand to my heart-----so many wonderful experiences of motherhood----were over. The reality swept over me that by the grace of God and His guidance, we were blessed to "grow kids, and NOW we were growing grass. A new chapter had begun!
I encourage you to cherish this time in your life. Slow down and listen to your kids. Let the dishes go until morning, the beds unmade while you read a story or paint a picture with your little ones. Keep the hall light on until your teen comes in and have ears tuned and ready to listen at all hours of the night. Touch them, hug them, tell them you love them. Show them you don't care if the lawn has no grass. If you realize you have been too busy with things that don't really matter and you need a fresh start, DO IT!! Jesus said in Revelation 21:5 , "Behold! I make all things new!" He can help you begin again and start anew in growing your kids.
I promise you will never regret the time and love you give to your kids. I encourage you to embrace this, your high calling from God, with all your heart! After all, your kids are HIS kids, entrusted to you to bring them up by His design. He will supply all you need---time, energy, and guidance---to do the thing! When the hard times, the weary times, and the challenging times come, and your kids are tugging at you from all sides, you just reach up and tug at the hem of His garment. YOUR Daddy is there to give you all you need to be the best you can be!

"And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." Colossians 3:17