Love For Children
By Christy Young
Mitchell County
As the mother of two beautiful boys, I am so very blessed and grateful. When praying and asking God to grant me the gift of a child, I did not completely understand the task ahead of me and my husband. Upon finding out that Chris and I were expecting our first child, I was overwhelmed with joy.
I can remember lying in bed at night just imagining what this little miracle would look like and what its personality would be? I can remember numerous nights praying for a healthy baby and asking that God would have his will in this child’s life. I prayed that this child would have an open heart and that he would accept Jesus as his savior when the time came. I didn’t realize that the easiest part of parenthood was carrying this sweet baby in my womb.
2011 arrived and so did my first child. Wow-what a blessing! He was perfect! Chris and I were so very blessed. We were so excited to start a new chapter of our life. The hardest, yet most rewarding – parenthood. When I say the hardest, I am not referring to the everyday chores required to nurture a child’s needs. I am referring to rearing a child up in the way that God would have you.
When our little boy was around 3 months old, my husband acknowledged a truth that we wish could be proved to be untrue. As our little boy was smiling, swinging in his little swing…we realized that we would not always be able to shelter him, we would not always be able to keep him safe and away from the hardships that this world will bring. We were confronted with the harsh reality that night that the happy, safe environment that our child had at this moment was not everlasting. The only everlasting hope and assurance that we can offer our children is Jesus.
We have tried to ensure that our home is filled with happiness and love. But, the very best we can do…the world and Satan tries to rob us of that. Our little boy started school, and we have definitely been blessed with godly teachers, but he has, for the first time in his life, been exposed to the world.
Not everyone is nice, not everyone is kind, and not everyone believes the way that he does. So where does a parent turn? We turn to God, we turn to the teachings of God’s word, the Bible. The world has nothing to offer us, but God gave it all. The world is cruel, harsh, and hurtful…but we have hope. God is well aware of the challenges that we face each day. He sent His son Jesus to walk in the same hardships, temptations and hurt that we each face daily. He allowed His son to bear the cost of our sin, the world’s sin. We are not worthy of such love. I thought I truly understood the depth of God’s love until I became a mother. But that was so untrue. I could never give up either of my boys for a stranger. But, God did, He had to turn His back on His son for us.
So as a parent, I challenge each of you…whether you be a parent, grandparent, teacher, friend, or acquaintance of a child, give them hope in the name of Jesus. Share what God has done for them. The bible teaches us In Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The world has nothing to offer us but hardship. With prayer and a willingness to minister to our children, we can see lives changed, and the kingdom of God grow bigger.
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Christy Young is the blessed wife of Chris Young and the proud mother of Hunter and Holden. She is a life-long resident of Mitchell County, works at Mitchell County Finance Office, and is a member of Bear Creek Baptist Church.
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