They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the LORD guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate." Psalm 127 (NKJV)
A friend shared a quote with me this morning, "There is an instinct in a woman to love most her own child....and an instinct to make any child who needs love, her own!" This is so powerful, so true.
About six weeks ago, I was driving through town and the tears were flowing. I was lamenting that I did not have a bigger family. I always thought I'd have at least six children and at this time I have three. I love my three sons with all of my heart. I just felt there was an empty space inside of me. A week later, I found myself at Renew camp, (Yes, this event affected me in so many deep ways, it keeps coming up in my posts!) surrounded by over a hundred young people. My mother's heart kicked into gear full force. Even in the planning meetings for the event, I noticed that mainly men and college students were in charge of the details for camp. My mother's instincts had kicked in before I even arrived! I felt such deep compassion and wanted to take each teen in my arms and love on them.
The third night of Renew, God brought some deep healing to my heart. Read all about it at this post, http://renewhearts.blogspot.com/2011/06/renew-day-3-tuesday.html. A young man from our work team approached me after the service that night, weeping. My first reaction was to say, "What's wrong, buddy?" as I took him in my arms. I realized in that moment that every bit of the mother inside me was kicking in. I felt protective, concerned and deeply moved. He had been touched by God, felt His presence and was ready to invite Jesus into his heart. NOTHING was wrong, EVERYTHING was right! The rest of the week and the weeks since Renew, I have been having daily encounters with precious young people. Using the platforms of Facebook, blogs, texting, phone calls and face to face contact, I have come to realize that my quiver is indeed full. These precious lives are like arrows that need to be trained and prepared for battle. God has given me the deepest desire of my heart, by giving me more children to love and train in righteousness. My quiver is full!
I remind my own sons, almost daily, that they are first. I tell them that I love them more than my own life and that when they need me, all they must do is ask! While I love these others so much, I never want my own boys to feel neglected. The most awesome part of this is that youth ministry is our calling for at least the next 8-10 years. Why? Because our sons are youth! We have always said we will minister where our children are. B is almost thirteen and a rising eighth grader. C and J are ten and rising fifth graders. By next summer, they will be in junior high and B will be...(gasp) in high school! We have so many nieces and nephews who are also close in age and the possibility of bringing them into this new family with us is so exciting! God is so good.
Years ago, I was questioned and disciplined for inviting a young man to come to Christ during a service. I was told that the way that I did that was not appropriate and that people need to come to Jesus on their own. Since the person who approached me was (is) someone I greatly respect, I took this reproach to heart. I began to question myself. Every time I felt Him leading me to share His love with someone, I doubted myself and my ability to hear His voice. For many years, I have lived under the fear of man. No more! I know that God has called me to be a mother to many. I know that He has given me His heart to nurture and to bring up a mighty army of warriors who are ready to lay down self and carry His cross.
My Father, I belong to You. Give Me Your heart for the world around me! Thank You for using the young people at Renew to breathe life back into these dry, weary bones. Thank You for restoring the joy of my salvation, for lighting a fire in my heart! Thank You for never giving up on me, for never changing Your mind about me, for not taking Your hand or Your call from me. I love You and I want to share this hope with everyone I meet!
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