Motherhood: Raising World Changers

"God, teach our children to humbly 

consider others better than themselves. 

May they look not only to their own interests,

 but also to the interests of others."

I often wonder what God will call each of my children to do later on in life.  Will they serve as missionaries on foreign soil?  Will they be leaders or elders in their home church?  Or will they be shining lights in the secular world?  It excites my soul to know and trust that God has a plan for each of them.  

And because of this, I often question myself.  God has entrusted us with four precious children to teach them in the way they should go.  So, how am I molding them into becoming world changers?  

I recently went into our local grocery store to do some shopping with my children.  Throughout the store, I heard many comments about my "heavy burden" and how I am brave to take them out to the store.  One woman even asked me if I ran a daycare and yet another asked about their dad.  I was taken back by their freedom of speech.  No one seemed to care about the impact their words were having on my children whom had heard every comment against them.  And because of this, my heart was heavy.  My children are not a burden to me.  Rather, I am doing my best to raise burden lifters.

Raising world changers begins at home. 

How do we start to raise world changers?

1.  We begin by prayer.  

Because we want our children to exemplify Christ, Philippians 2:3-8 can be a great prayer guide:

"God, teach our children to humbly consider others better than themselves. May they look not only to their own interests, but also to the interests of others."

We also ask the Lord to bless our kids, not necessarily with wealth or fame or an easy life, but that through them, His way would be known on Earth and His salvation among all nations (Psalm 67:1-2).

2.  Serve together as a family!

Our children should not be an excuse to not ever do ministry.  They can serve alongside of us even in the small stuff.  Serving others will help children see beyond themselves.  It brings needs into the light and allows for children to see the power of God up close and personal.

World changers follow Christ's example through service. They practice kindness and are willing to sacrifice convenience and comfort for another's sake.  The earlier kids see our hands at work, the greater chance we have of equipping them for a lifetime of compassion and service.

3.  Make time to talk to your children about faith.

About a week ago, I pulled over to purchase a newspaper that is sold by those in need here in Nashville.  The man looked at me and proceeded to ask me about my faith.  He said that he could see that I was a Christian by my demeanor.  We talked for a little bit & then I drove home.  For a split second, I felt pride that he spoke kindly of me in front of my children.  As I looked up into the rearview mirror, I was struck with conviction.

I looked at their sweet faces and thought of our morning.  I had raised my voice several times to corral all the kids into our van.  No one was listening to me.  One jumped in the mud and another didn't want to wear her shoes.  All were in tears before we left the driveway.  They did not see Christ in me that day.  

When we got home, I had to ask for their forgiveness.  We talked about serving others and how we need to do so with a rightful heart.  I shared with them how Christ is always compassionate and how no matter the circumstance, mommy needed to show compassion, too. 

If we want our children to be world changers, we need to be intentional about sharing our faith.

In addition to being intentional about communicating with our children, we need to be intentional about modeling and sharing our faith with them.

Raising world changers begins at home.  From there, only God knows and that's a trustworthy saying to be excited about!