Thank you to Amy Herzog for joining us on our first MOMS of 2025 and sharing with us about remaining Steadfast when Shaken in Parenting Decisions. Please read on for some notes on the wisdom Amy had to share with us from God and her experiences raising 7 children!
Parenting in light of eternity. Amy had a line of
string stretched out as far as could be seen to represent eternity. James 4:14
says “Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you
are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” Teach us
to number our days. Understanding the brevity of life will change how we think.
All the children in our care are there for a purpose: Bring
glory and honor to God; Increase His kingdom. Amy felt God say “I will do so much more through
your children than I ever could through you alone.” There is great purpose in
parenting.
The Lord will reward
each one of us for the good we do.
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“By faith Moses, when he was grown up,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be
mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
He considered reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt,
for he was looking to the reward.” Hebrews 11:24-26
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“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord
and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance
as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24
This is the season You’ve called me to. We do not do it
perfectly, but for the glory of God. There is great reward for caring for our
children well; for sacrificing for our children.
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“He will turn (restore) the hearts of the
parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents”
Malachi 4:6a
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“Behold, children are a heritage from the
Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver
with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in
the gate.” Psalm 127:3-5
If parenting doesn’t feel like a gift: go to God. Realign
with the truth that children are a gift and there is reward. Remember to
delight in your children and choose to like them. Look your children in the
eyes: I like you! I love you. Find the joy, the goofy things – enjoy and
delight in them. Life is brief: maximize it.
Proverbs 14:5 says “Where there are no oxen, the manger is
clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.” Our homes may be cleaner
and more orderly without children around, but children bring a greater
blessing.
Let God use you and your family. Align your mind with the
truth: this is for God’s glory. Invest in the eternal: Children. How amazing
that part of God’s design is that two people can create an eternal soul. Talk
with God and ask what His will looks like for your family in particular. Don’t
compare with other families – a Godly family is a family following God.
Teach children to suffer well and discovering how to
be okay sitting in sadness, disappointment, the mundane, when we’re offended
and hurt. Letting sorrow and joy exist together and live in the victory and
love of Christ builds resilience. Being happy all the time and trying to undo
hurt is not in alignment with the word of God. It’s important to acknowledge
the hurt and the hard things with our children. God will bring redemption and
healing out of the lousy.
Brings to mind the song Joy in the Morning by Tauren
Wells: “If it’s not good then He’s not done, no He’s not done with it yet /
There will be joy in the morning”
Discipline is good and a gift we give to our
children. Hebrews 12:11 says “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but
painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace
for those who have been trained by it.” The fruits of right discipline are the
fruits of the Spirit. Discipline is self-control: discipleship, leading,
teaching, showing them the fruit of the Spirit in our own lives.
How can we do this? Romans 12:2 says “Do not be conformed to
this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by
testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable.”
God knows our children better than we know ourselves and we
have access to all God’s grace and peace if we ask. “If the Spirit of Him who raised
Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead
will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
Romans 8:11
God, I need your grace and your help. Teach me how to lean into
You.
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