You Are Made for This: 14 Devotions to Uplift & Encourage Busy MomsSample

Their Story

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” JEREMIAH 29:11

How amazing is it that your children were thought of by the Lord before they were ever born? God has so many wonderful purposes for their lives. They too have a story to tell. Just like your purpose is different from another’s, theirs will be too. We have to remember, Mama, that it’s not about what we want for them, but it’s about what God wants for their lives. They may like things we don’t or go down paths we never intended, but God is seeing them through it all. They will have tests and trials in life, heartaches, and heartbreaks, but during each of these struggles, they are being molded into the person God wants them to be. Don’t worry, there will be fun and good times too, but we need our “mama strength” most when we can no longer fight their battles for them.

I was finishing the eighth grade when I lost all my best friends. The closest friends I’d had since I was young suddenly turned on me with hateful words and messages. I didn’t understand why, and I was crushed, especially as we were all starting high school the next year. But now, I can look back and see God had prepared a path for me that was different from the one I was going down. He had to create a roadblock for me, to cause me to take a new way. Mama, if you find yourself or your kids in this situation, know that God is in it, even when you can’t see Him at work. It may be that your child won’t get into the college they hoped for or they won’t make it onto a certain team, or get into a certain class, or be chosen for a certain club, but this isn’t for nothing. God is preparing a much better way for them, even when you can’t see it. As they grow older, you may later see how the puzzle pieces fit more perfectly together as God works out His perfect plan in their lives.

Made for This!

Remember, Mama, God is involved in your kids’ stories. They have many purposes in life. They were made perfectly just the way they are—and they were beautifully dreamt up to love certain things and be great at certain things—it’s all a part of His greater plan. We must trust in the Lord, even when we don’t understand why things happen the way they do. Let’s stay the course and learn to let Him lead the way, not only in our lives but in our children’s too.