It makes you want to control everything you can, when in reality, there is very little you can actually control when it comes to children of any age, especially one like Amila!
And, talk about anxiety! Amila and what all she has been through, while nothing compared to others (blessed), has been traumatic on this momma. My own beating myself up mixed with the feeling that I have no control over anything that was happening to her, created some pretty significant anxiety, and honestly, some post traumatic stress disorder issues. That's another story for another time, though!
Let's Talk About Your Best Offense
You know that saying, "the best defense is a good offense"?
For some reason that is what comes to mind while I was preparing this to share with you, friend! It makes sense though. This quote is used for sports, military use, and I read where it is used in times of war. Not to mean, your child is going to literal war, (maybe they are) maybe they are just going to be fighting daily battles that we all fight. You want them, naturally, to have the best shot at coming out on the other side of these battles, victorious, in one piece, and strong. We want that for ourselves, too! So, what is the best offense for you and your family? Your best offense: PRAYER! Right now, that meme of the dog running into the hedges as an example of 'when your mom has prayed a hedge of protection around you', is playing over and over again in my head! You know the one? This world we live in is getting more and more mean by the day. It is so scary to see all these children missing, children being bullied, children coming close to being kidnapped; it makes you not want to take your children anywhere! 
Your Best Offense, explained.
I want to pray for my kids, my husband and myself before anything comes to "battle" against us. Whether we know what is coming or not, I want to have a head start, a "leg up" on the situation, so I can be at peace with the fact that I have already put that "hedge of protection" around us!
That is how we can have a good offense through prayer! Unfortunately, we have to accept the fact that at the end of the day, it is not us who have been protecting our children. From the time of conception to now, and until the end of days, God has been protecting your kids, all along, and will continue to do so, thankfully! He chose you to be their parents. He has asked you to be their guardians, to nurture them, to teach them, to lead them to Him. But, they were "born of His vision" way before they were given to you! If your like me, you worry about your kids. You subconsciously attempt to control their safety with your worry and fears. What? If you think you don't do that... then yea, you probably do! God asked you to be all these things for your kids. But, you can't take God's place as "watchman" over your kids and household. You can stress yourself out, give yourself all the anxiety, and work and work to build the safest house for your family, but you are only going to cause yourself even more worry and fear. No one needs that. For one, some of us are naturally ridden with anxiety, that is often times just how our brain works, unfortunately. More importantly, you need to not worry or stress out over your fears for your children and loved ones, because, well to be quite blunt- that serves no purpose at all, and it certainly offers no added amount of protection! I repeat, your fear and worries for your loved ones offers absolutely no protection. The protection comes from God. The relief we need is given to us when we release our fear and need to control things (Psalm 34:4; 56:3), to God. Trade all of your worries and fears in prayer, and in that, you will be rewarded with a protected loved one, and freedom and peace of knowing that God holds your children, your spouse and you, for that matter, in the palms of His hands. Job knew that his best chance at protecting his children was prayer! Job 1:5b tells us that Job would get up early in the morning and give God burnt offerings for each child, the NIV Bible describes it as "he would make arrangements for them to be purified". That tells me, that even back in the days of Job, he knew that his kid's best chance at a great defense, was an even better offense. What is Your Safe Place, without God?
Without God, the work you have put into creating a safe place for your family in your home, is completely out of vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards (you) stand watch in vain.
To me, it's like saying you don't need, or maybe don't realize you need God to help you protect your family, your house, etc. I have lived that life. It is scary. It is stressful. It is not safe. Honestly. My family's safe place, our house, me and my husband (for the girls) is nothing without God. Whether my family knows it yet, or not.
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7 Comments
I loooooooove this post. I cried like a baby the night before my actual baby's first birthday, thinking of all the things I want to protect her from as she continues to get older and I have to share her more and more with the world. In the end, I came to the fact that all we can do is trust in God, because we are powerless in a lot of ways. I always find comfort in knowing that as our Father, He WANTS good for us. Sometimes when I don;t know what to say, I just say Jesus, I trust in You. I believe that the best defense is a good offense and you need your faith daily so that it is strong in the storms. Great reminder! This is so true! So often I try to control things as a mom, but God is constantly giving me the reminder that I'm not in control. It's so easy to get caught up in the day to day routine and forget to pray for help when you are stressed out or anxious. Thanks for the reminder! 12/1/2019 10:02:21 pm
Such a beautiful reminder of the power of prayer and of acknowledging God’s sovereignty over our children and our lives. The greatest freedom is knowing and living in the fact that we are not God and therefore, lean on Him for everything. Thank you. :)
Amy @ The Kent Krew
12/2/2019 07:35:16 pm
Honestly, sometimes I need this reminder, and I will pull it up to read in my own words, it reminds me that I know better than to rely on myself and myself only! I love this post!! My youngest was born prematurely at 34 weeks and spent 3 weeks in the NICU. He then had health issues for the first year or so of his life and it was such a traumatic experience. I finally reached the point where I had to hand it over to God because the burden was simply too heavy for me to handle. I think we sometimes talk ourselves into thinking that we are in control when nothing is further from the truth. Thank you so much for sharing this inspirational post!
Amy @ The Kent Krew
12/2/2019 07:37:13 pm
Oh momma! I was right there with you! My daughter was a NICU baby, and lord that first year I was a hot mess. Me and her both have come so far!! But even now, certain things trigger those memories and it takes everything in me to remember He is in control, and He has our babies in His hands. Leave a Reply. |
About AmyHey Ya'll! My name is Amy, I am a girl mom (times two), married to one of my favorite guys, a daughter, a Jesus follower and so much more. I love preworkout and a great sweat, I collect books like trophies, I love to cook but hate a dirty kitchen. I love grungy country music, bell bottom pants, turquoise (the mineral) and converses. Our house is full of love and laughter as we navigate this busy life together, focusing on keeping the important parts of life the biggest parts, and building a healthy and safe place in our family of four! 
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