As moms, we think about, or consider, lots of things regarding our child—their friendships, abilities, our relationship, discipline issues, and on and on. We yearn for insight, the next step, the right thing to do. Our insight will increase as we prayerfully consider.
“No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment…” (Isaiah 44.19a)
It’s simple really. Begin to invite the Lord into whatever you’re thinking about concerning your child.
Often we don’t consider, we just ask someone else. There is nothing wrong with this, but the Lord would like to be our first resource – and He is the only one with perfect guidance. When we don’t take the time to consider, we often make rash decisions. For example, if our child (toddler or teenager) has a habit of whining, and we haven’t taken some time to prayerfully consider why and how to deal with it, then we often enable the behavior by reacting to it with a quick fix to quell it for a time.
We set ourselves up for unnecessary stress, and we often set our child up for inappropriate or even unnecessary correction. When we don’t have a plan, we tend to lose control more quickly – over our child and our self – so that peace is nowhere on the radar screen.
When we take the time to prayerfully consider, the Lord will provide the response that will have a longer lasting , more effective result. Since He made our child, He knows what will be most effective. Also, since He sees all and knows all, He can lead us to discern the root cause of the issue. We can pray something like, “Lord, please help me address my daughter’s whining. What is the root cause? Is any of this about me? Show me what’s necessary. Help me discern your plan.” Then we can spend some time considering the issue: When did it start? What is my pattern when she does this?
I love God’s promise in James 4.8: “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.”
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