“Love never fails…” 1 Corinthians 13:8a

About 25 years ago, I was a mom of two Littles. I desperately wanted to be a good mom and raise my children up in a joyful home filled with love, but I had no idea how to do it, AND I had a particularly strong-willed child.

I often left playgroups and events sad and feeling alone because my child would get into trouble when we were with other kids. It was a hard season because she wouldn’t listen and do what I asked, so I stopped getting together in groups for a while, pulled in, prayed, and asked God what to do.

I remember going into my daughter’s room at night while she slept, kneeling beside her bed, and crying out to the Lord.

“What do I do, Lord? I need your help so much!” was the cry of my heart during this season. God is so good because He answered me and simply said, “Spend time with Me, Deb,” and so I did. I arose about 15-30 minutes earlier to pray and read my Bible and continued asking God for help.

God led me to Scriptures to pray, such as Ephesians 4:2, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love,” and 1 Peter 4:8, ” Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

He also led me to Christian authors who talked about how important it is to reach your child’s heart with love. I learned how important it was to remember that our children are not little adults; they are just children. I really struggled with this one because my daughter was super smart, so I felt like she was older than she really was. In reality, she was only a 4-year-old little girl, but it was so easy to forget and expect too much from her at such a young age.

The other lesson I learned was that my dear, sweet daughter needed my love and understanding deeply because she was her own worst enemy. When she got into trouble, she acted out more because she hated being in trouble; she really wanted to be good. 

This lesson led me to pray for God to show me her heart and to expect the best intentions from her instead of thinking she would always be hard and disobedient. I started asking her things like “Are you okay?” when she would act up, and I held her and pressed in gently instead of pulling away.

It was amazing how God showed me the POWER of seeing her heart with His eyes and having compassion on her. My dearest daughter responded to my kind words and caring heart. It actually changed her, and over time, she grew out of this difficult stage. She still had trouble occasionally, but she reacted differently because she knew I loved her unconditionally.

My precious girl is now a Jesus-loving, kind, and compassionate wife and mother and a successful business owner. Her strong will has served her well because she needed it to keep up with God’s plans for her life! I couldn’t be prouder of my Christie!

Pray this prayer with me…

“Lord, Help me to remember that my children are not little adults. They are children and need my patience, Christ-centered love, and understanding.”

Sweet mom, God will help you with your precious little (and big) ones when you ask. I am praying for you today!

With much love,

Deb and the Help Club for Moms Team