I have cared for children since the age of eight, babysitting my siblings and cousins-so I taking care of children came easy to me.  You know, if the kid cries- change’em, feed’em, rock’em, or cry with them- so in that sense I was not afraid to become a mom.  It was after I gave birth to my first son that I realized my greatest fear- I am responsible for bringing this child from infancy to adulthood.  I would have take part in shaping this baby’s view of the world and of himself.  WHAT IF I SCREW HIM UP?  I guess a brief bio would be in order… I was not raised as a Christian; I grew up going to church for weddings, funerals, sometimes on Easter and Christmas.  I was baptized as a baby and attended catholic school for one year, had first communion, and was told every time that God was going to punish me for doing bad.  And that was the basis of our “faith”-I call it nowadays-culturally catholic.  I came to faith when I was 20; I was in a bad relationship and it began to take a toll on me.  One day a coworker asked me to go to church with her and it was there I felt God’s hand on me and He lifted the self-doubt and pain and gave me the strength to move on.  Unfortunately, not truly understanding the gift I had received, I gave Him thanks and went on my merry way.

Fast forward-I met my husband, we made Jesus an integral part of our lives, we married, and I was baptized at 26 years old. 

So back to the kids-I began to realize as my faith grew over the years and by raising my children- that they are truly gifts from God.  He made them especially for me and no one gives you a gift, drops it in your lap and walks away for good.  I see His watchful eye and protective hand over my kids when they come home from school and tell us about a kid who was mean to them and instead of using their fists or bad words, they are able to either walk away or address the kid accordingly.  I see the power in the Lord’s house when we attend church and they are surrounded with their brothers and sisters in Christ.  They know when church is and when we are unable to go their “Father’s house” we get an earful.  I was able to witness the Power of Jesus’ healing hand on my youngest son Brandon who was unable to hear for the first two years of his life.  From his surgery, to the remarkable recovery, and the strides he has made from being a silent baby to a 3 year old, who can finally call me mommy, sing, talk, and more importantly pray.  My heart melts as he prays for his family, church mates, schoolmates, toy cars, backpack, the lights, etc…and His list continues to grow.  In the name of Jesus, I am truly thankful for His mighty power.

My older two, Bruce and Cameron were baptized last month and I cried because at such a young age they understood the power of having Jesus as their Savior and they know of His LOVE and Forgiveness and they want to be with Him forever.

It was in writing this it really sunk in that God’s will not let me SCREW-UP His children.  He provides everything me and my husband needs to raise our children.  He protects them.  He gave them kind hearts to forgive their mom for her impatience.  He provided us a church family-so we could learn from the veteran parents and swap stories with families like ours.  The Lord constantly shows me that all my fears and worries (although very valid in my head) are nothing compared to the blessings He has given our family.

So, just for the record- I am imperfect mom, (sometimes) an impatient mom, and I do all the things we moms hate to tell people we do.  But I am grateful to have the Lord in my family’s life because with Him, I know my kids will grow up to be strong in Faith and strong in Heart—and you can’t screw that up.  And more importantly we moms are never alone.

Thank you and have a good night.