I Think I Ruined My Children
Voice of Fear: I think I ruined my children today. I reacted in anger and impatience when I should have been calm. I suppose that milk on the floor and on the chair and on the underside of the table should be a given when you’re a mom, but I couldn’t handle it today. I acted like a little child myself as I yelled and threatened and cried and ran out of the room. I know my children were watching as I did all the things I am telling them not to do. I’m afraid they will follow my actions, not my words, and will grow up to be impatient and selfish.
Voice of Faith: Child of God, you are loved on your good days and on your bad days. God has not abandoned you. When your children act in anger and impatience, you do not set them on the side of the road with a “For Sale” sign around their neck. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more does God the Father send the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13) So right now, go and ask Him! Ask the Holy Spirit to dwell in you, to make you obedient and cheerful. Go and apologize to your children and acknowledge your need of a Savior. Your children do not need a perfect mom; they need a repentant mom.
Voice of Fear: I think I ruined my children this week. I told them we were going to have a fun week with park outings and trips to the store, and we were going to start soccer too. Instead, I pulled a muscle in my back and I could barely move. They ended up watching way too much TV, bickering and cramped in our small house. I can’t stand the sight of them, and they all feel that they missed out on the good life.
Voice of Faith: God is in control of all circumstances, and He knew exactly how this week would turn out. Have you placed your treasure on earth? What is more valuable, an enjoyable week with trips and sports, or a week with many trials and many opportunities to turn to the Lord for help and comfort? Don’t you know that God disciplines us for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness? Seek the Lord in your discomfort and He will give you strength – perhaps not the physical strength you wanted, but the strength to trust and obey Him even through trials.
Voice of Fear: I think I ruined my children this month. I really meant to start a Bible study with them, but the time just slipped through our fingers. We made it to church, but I don’t think they listened at all. I was too tired for devotions at the end of the day, and the Bible memory is in the exact same place it was last month. I don’t even know what we did, but it wasn’t holy and it wasn’t good.
Voice of Faith: Beware lest the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke out the Word in your life (Matthew 13:22). It is not too late to start again, for God is merciful and gracious. The free offer of the gospel is for all who repent and believe. Have you truly believed this gospel? Have you acknowledged your sin and utter inability to save yourself? Or are you trusting in “religion” and “checking off the boxes” to save you? Have you accepted Christ’s righteousness instead of your own? If so, He will give you the strength and the desire to seek His kingdom and His righteousness. If you do not truly believe in the life-saving power of Christ, it will show in your actions. If you are a new creation, then you will inevitably bear good fruit.
Voice of Fear: I think I ruined my children this year. I sent them to the wrong school and picked the wrong curriculum. My kids were going to finish this textbook and they were going to learn to read this year. I was going to eat healthier, cook more at home, and spend more time outside. Instead, we had a baby and so many of our other goals went by the wayside. I don’t know if my kids will ever potty train, let alone get accepted into college!
Voice of Faith: God is sovereign over your children’s academics. They may not be the smartest kids in school, or get the best scholarships, but education is not their Savior; God is. God is also sovereign over your lifespan. You are not going to be alive one day past what He has willed. You can and should be a responsible steward of the resources He has given you, but you cannot control the future.
Voice of Courage: God, in His lovingkindness and wisdom, has given me these particular children. He has given me the grace for each and every day, and when I die, I will hear His praise: “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). This praise will not be given because I was perfect, but because I am in Christ. Not because I was the best mom, but because I was chosen. Not because of what I am, but because of who God is, I can trust Him to care for my children better than I ever can. He has their future written, and He holds them in the palm of His hand. My children may not all be given the miracle of saving faith; but that miracle was never dependent upon me. Because God is my Father, I can never truly ruin my children.
