BY JESSICA LANDMON
I was recently reflecting on the earlier days of motherhood, suddenly realizing that my little ones are far from little anymore. My daughter towers over me, and my 6’5 teenage “man-child” has his license and is no longer dependent on me to drive him places. This certainly is an interesting season for me.
And to add to that, I have several mom friends who will be sending their kids off to college soon. The common question that I keep hearing from each of them is – have I prepared my child for what's ahead? And, of course, this is every mother's concern.
From the moment we bring our children home from the hospital, our lives transform into varying seasons of preparing our children for life’s next step. We often wonder if we have done a good enough job. Have we taught them to be kind and considerate? Have we taught them about social cues, looking people in the eye, and the power of a firm handshake? Have we taught them to be thankful and content with all that they have? Have we taught them to be independent and to work hard?
These are all important life skills, but lately I've been asking myself something even more critical: “Have I taught my kids to fight?” Now, I know that sounds like an odd question for a mom to ask herself, but it is definitely a valuable one.
My children having a relationship with God is the most important thing I can teach them. And, I pray that they walk with Him all the days of their lives. But, living a life sold out to Christ is hard. I know this first hand. And walking in our God-given destiny is even harder. In fact, unless we are willing to fight, none of us will ever fully realize God’s full potential for our lives.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 6:12
There is a real enemy that wants to stop us, and our children, from moving forward into our destinies. We must fight. But, we must fight spiritual opposition with Godly tactics.
Are we teaching our children about spiritual warfare? Are we teaching them how important it is to have the Word of God entrenched in their hearts so that scripture naturally pours from their mouths when hard times come? Do they actually understand what putting on the armor of God is?
When obstacles arise, will they know to press in with prayer? When fear and anxiety cripple them, do they know how to silence the lies of the enemy? When it seems like their dreams are an impossibility, do they know to chase after them with power and strength from on high?
Moms, these are the questions we need to be asking ourselves. Listen, I'm concerned just as much as the next mom about whether my kids will be ready for the real world. But, I'm realizing that the best way to prepare my kids for this crazy, unpredictable world is to teach them to fight.
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. – 1 Timothy 6:12