Sending My Babies Back into the World

Used by permission by Alicia Miller

August is always a hard month for me. It’s the month I have to send to my babies back into the world after being home with me all summer. There is something about sending them out into world after they have been safe under the covering of our home that gets to me. Things happen in their day once school starts back up that I have no first hand knowledge of and they come home a little different than they left. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ God brought this to my attention this morning ... For weeks this plant in the picture below has only had 2 flowers on it, today it has 14 flowers. I’ve kept it on my covered screened in porch, safe on a table, while it gets the what I thought was the perfect amount of sun and controlled water by using my watering can. A few days ago, it was obvious by the dark clouds in the sky and the sound of thunder that it was going to storm so I set it out on my uncovered patio to receive the rain. We get some fierce afternoon thunderstorms so I worried while I was gone that the wind and hard rain could have been too much for this seemingly delicate plant. When I came home, the sun had come back out and it appeared to be watered, nourished and vibrant. I moved it back to safety of the covered screened in porch. Each day since it was in the storm a new flower has bloomed and it is finally starting to fill out. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Maybe, just maybe, the rain and storms, the trials and heartaches, of this life in my children’s path are also necessary to produce fruit (or flowers). Safety in my home is good for rest and for Him to lay foundational roots. However, when I let them enter the rain, and even the fierce storms on the outside, perhaps that is when He can flourish through them and the fruit produced will bloom and be most evident. They (we all do) need the time in safety under covering but they also need to enter the storms and allow Him to hold them up in the rain and wind - after all that is where endurance is built and tried. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ So, next Monday, when two of mine return to the overcrowded school hallways and the building to learn things that I am not equipped to teach them at home, I will remember these truths that He imparted in me. They may face storms but they will also receive nourishment, there may be the gusty wind of trials but He is strong enough to keep them upright, there will also be joy when the sun shines on them and He will produce vibrant beauty through them for all to see. Then, they will return to our house, He will continue to give them rest and restoration under the covering of our home. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Please know I’m not a debating or even implying that brick and mortar style school is always best. I have two that are returning to the building and one college age child that will be home with all online classes. Just as plants’ care instructions are all different according to each individual plant type, so are His Holy Spirit’s instructions for each individual child based on their specific needs. This was just a message He gave me today about my children that I thought might relatable to others’ situation as well.)

"Mommy, pray on me. Pray on me, Mommy!"

Used by permission by Krista Yoder

"Mommy, pray on me. Pray on me, Mommy."  The words of my 2-year-old as I rocked him a little before putting him to bed last night. These words made my heart sing. I pray out loud over my boys often when they are having trouble calming down, stopping crying, trouble going to sleep, or if I'm simply holding them. Sometimes it's a short prayer like "Lord, thank you for my blessing." Sometimes it's a longer prayer. I know that my husband, Brian, also prays over them. This however is the first time Dominic asked for the prayer! He's listening, he's learning, prayer is becoming important to him, and as he said the other day, "God is my fwend."