“Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”(Matthew 19:14)
The kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these… Oh Lord, let us SEE and understand this deeper!
Jesus loves His children.
Oh how He loves them. We hear this again and again, but God open the eyes of our hearts… we want to SEE and RESPOND more LIKE YOU DO.
He came IN care for His children. He came TO care for His children. And He STILL cares for His children…daily, hourly, moment-to-moment.
And in this world, we are all vulnerable children.
Jesus came to redeem and restore that which was lost… This is Isaiah 61.
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners…”
We know that some children really do have harder experiences than others. Some children have to endure things that seem absolutely too hard, not right, and often unjust. Yet God allows us to SEE through the unjust suffering of children… just how much the wisdom of His care matters.
He actually said, “What you do for the least of these, you do for Me.” SEE His care. He cares deeply for the suffering ones. The least of these.
Could it be that not only does He call us to care for the least of these… but He calls us to care LIKE HIM for the least of these?
And could it be that He calls us to care LIKE HIM in our own homes first… in our own families… as mothers and fathers… so that maybe there would be less suffering for children in this hard world… especially in their foundational years?
Oh, turn the hearts of mothers and fathers to their children, LORD! And the hearts of children to their mothers and fathers! (Malachi 4:6)
So, how do we respond to His love for His children?
How do we respond… whether it is our own baby or child from birth, an adopted baby or child, a foster baby or child, on adolescent, a young adult or an older child of God?
This is an important question. More important than I ever thought. In fact, I didn’t really think you had to think about responding. If you love God and you love a child, won’t you always just respond in love?
And I didn’t get it until I really went there…
Until I needed to cry out to Jesus for a lot of help, which I wish I would have done much earlier in my journey. In fact, I wish I would have understood Christ’s care before I held my first baby in my own arms! What glory!
And not because I want to be a perfect mother/parent. There’s no such thing. Making mistakes and getting it wrong is all part of it. And not for any sense of striving either, or thinking that I could have some awesome skill set as a mother. No, it’s just the opposite. Humble parenting is the call… Knowing my weakness and my NEED for Jesus as a mother caring for HIS children that He loves more than I do.
I just want to respond to HIS love for HIS children…
“Do you love Me? Tend my sheep.” (John 21)
This is the invitation…
An invitation to respond.
To respond by tending.
And to tend by relying on Him and responding like Him to the one who needs care.
This is how.
I wish I would have looked to Jesus earlier and more often in mothering. There’s so much out there to consider about mothering, and there’s certainly a lot of helpful “things” out there for sure… there always will be. And yet, I believe God always had a plan for helping us tend our own. I mean, He is the one who loves our children more than we ever could. And He is the one who loves when we come to Him and learn from Him.
We’re called to TEND… not manage behavior.
I could cry.
Could it be that we just need to keep gazing at Him as the Perfect Caregiver, learn from Him, and grow in the way we TEND… to tend more like Him? Of course, this can’t happen apart from Him. We must remain in Him.
My gratitude is endless that He heard my cry… and that He still hears my cries. My cry for His wisdom in tending. In caring for the children I get to be momma to. Oh how I need Him!
He knows how much I actually do long to love like He loves… to care like He cares… especially for the ones He’s entrusted me to care for IN MY OWN HOME. How could I ever do this without Him? And why would I want to do this without His wisdom. He loves to give wisdom to those who ask. And not only does He love to give it, but He loves to give it generously. SEE His heart. SEE His love. SEE His care.
I know my utter need and my utter dependence on Him and His wisdom, and I’m in awe. I fear Him… He is worthy, and the privilege is real. Jesus loves His children. And I love Jesus. So, I long to tend His children with the fear of the Lord. And also in grace.
Tending is supposed to be joyful, it’s supposed to feel like a privilege… because it is. It is hard, messy, we fail and get it wrong often, but we still get to seek Him, cry out for wisdom, and find Him in it all. We get to rejoice in the privilege and the joy of having children to tend. Not because it’s easy. But because He loves His children and we love Him.
And yes, I have an extra tender heart now for the children who have suffered unjustly, the ones who did not receive what they needed from the beginning. The children who did not receive what God originally designed for children to receive through mothers and fathers tending their own. The ones who have more battles to overcome. The ones who may need an extra equipped shepherd to love and care for and guide them on their journey of healing and restoration.
Therefore, through seeking Jesus, and continuing to cry out for His wisdom, I’m beginning to understand just how much it matters to Jesus that we tend His children with Christlike care. Especially the ones that might be lost, broken, suffering…
We are called to tend with His love, through continual pray… in full TRUST and utter surrender. Praying for healing, breakthrough, redemption and renewal without ceasing and loving no matter how long the journey is for God to heal, redeem and restore. Because we love Him.
“Do you love Me? Tend MY sheep.” (John 21)
Not because of the results. No, just because we love Him.
HE gets to be Lord of the results. HE is Lord of the outcomes. HE is authoring our children’s stories. And we are invited to be an intimate part of their stories… as mothers and fathers tending their own.
Our eyes MUST stay on JESUS. Not on results. Not on the outcome.
Do we care about the outcome? YES. Just like our Father in Heaven does. Do we hope for victory in our children’s lives? YES. Do we hope for healing where our children need healing? YES. Do we hope God can use the way we love and care for our children to usher in trust, security, healing, breakthrough, redemption, restoration? YES. Do we believe Jesus can use the way we love and care to usher in these things? YES. We believe. Will we always see what we hope and pray for? Maybe, and sometimes maybe not.
BUT… our eyes are on HIM, they stay fixed on HIM. We choose the wisdom of His care because we love HIM… we don’t fix our eyes on results. We let JESUS do what gives Him the most glory. We trust JESUS to have HIS way, as we tend (with the wisdom of His care)… because of love. Because we love Him. And because we trust how much He loves our children even more than we do.
And we remember that love is long suffering. (1 Corinthians 13)
We rejoice in the privilege of mothering and fathering.
By praying for our children the prayers God gives and loving them the way God leads us to… THIS gives Jesus a place to usher in HIS love, care, healing, redemption, restoration and the fullness of life He gives through relationship. We are the vessels He longs to use. Especially when any child of ours might be lost, broken… suffering.
In our family, we know many “special needs.” Spina bifida, hydrocephalus, club feet, sensory processing disorder, ADHD, ODD, autoimmune disorder, brachial plexus palsy, HIV, attachment disorder…
A lot to tend… yes.
BUT, but but but… the most important tending in our home is of the hearts and minds of our children.
Do the special needs add layers? Yes. More time? Yes. More intentionality? Yes. More understanding? Yes… but none of these “special needs” require what we believe the Lord has called us to tend in the hearts and minds of every child (special needs or not).
Therefore, with our whole hearts… with utter reliance and dependence on HIM… continually crying out for wisdom… knowing that the world, current culture, and the enemy are after our children’s HEARTS and MINDS. Look around, there is plenty to deceive the hearts and minds of God’s precious children.
Of course they all need mothers and fathers… good shepherds… who will leave the 99 for the 1 who might get lost.
Knowing the real Father heart of God and His original design for tending children leads us into a fear of the Lord that should bring great joy because we SEE the privilege of tending what HE HAS GIVEN US, and what HE CARES ABOUT THE MOST.
It should be an honor to care for HIS children that He’s entrusted to us. And these children aren’t an idol, no, but a blessing from the Lord. They matter to Him, more than they matter to us.
“The Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14)
There is a cost. There is sacrifice. We die, we give things up, for more life to come through relationship with our children. Sounds Christlike.
It is hard, but as we’ve learned, it’s harder and better than a life without cost and sacrifice. We may lose “things” we think we wanted, but we gain MORE JESUS. It’s a forever tension between our flesh desiring comfort but the Spirit of God in us desiring more Jesus. And more Jesus often comes through the times we need Him to help, to heal, to show us the way, to encourage, to restore, to sustain us, to guide us. It’s worth it. He’s worth it. Because of love. Because we love Him.
“Do you love Me? TEND MY SHEEP.” (John 21)
