Keep Sowing

Do you ever feel, as a parent, that there is so much you should be "sowing" into with your children? Or maybe that what you have faithfully been sowing into is not showing a harvest?

Galatians 6:7&9 says, "A man reaps what he sows...Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

I love God's Word because it is truth - and where the truth is, we can hold tight to those words. I have watched times with our children (and I realize there are many more to come) where I really didn't think that situations or attitudes or hearts were going to change...BUT by prayer and continuing to press in, it always has. WHY? Because when we are walking in God's strength and sowing by His ways we have to reap a harvest - the Bible says it is so - but there is a catch, it is IF we do not give up.

I shared a cup of tea with a wise and special friend last week, who is a few steps ahead in this journey of parenting, in fact her children are young adults now. To meet her children is to be introduced to all you could hope your own would become, and we were talking about this for a bit. Then she shared that there was a challenge with one of them, who is 19, in the way they were treating a sibling. When I shared my surprise, she went to explain that the challenges hadn't ceased, just continued to change in their appearance, but also said that she knew if she kept pressing in and encouraging the heart that they would come around. What an important reminder for me and I think, for others!

It is so easy to look at another godly family and feel that their children have it all together and what is wrong with ours? I feel that is one of the ways that the enemy tries to discourage us into "giving up". Every family has items that need to be worked on both as a family unit and with each child, that doesn't go away - it is part of being a healthy family. But, when we start to feel that our children have issues that will never be overcome, or that we will never reach their hearts or that the attitudes will never improve - you can be sure the voice of discouragement is there.

There is always hope when we are sowing in God's strength. He has promised that there is a harvest to be reaped If we do not give up - so hang tight and keep faithfully sowing into the children God has blessed you with - there is a harvest to look forward to.