Arrows. Its much more than a pointer or trendy directional symbol to me. From the moment we found out that a baby was on the way…the Lord hushed my anxious mind and reminded me of what His word says about children.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. -Psalms 127:4
The hidden focus of this verse is not about children, but about the archer. As parents, we are the archer’s….and it is the archer’s job to shoot the arrow toward its target. Parents are like the archer as they direct their children towards Jesus, their gifts and callings.
I took an archery lesson at a summer camp many years ago. It was hot. I was sweating…and pulling the bow back in order to release the arrow was NOT easy. At all. It was a lot of hard work…and I remember the activity instructor saying that it’s all about “repetitive consistency and accuracy.” Little did I know that I would be tying this message into my life and blogging about it!
We are in a new series at church called Microphone. It’s pretty much rocking my world right now. I’m very familiar with words such as “platform” and “influence,” [as these words get thrown around in social media circles], but it’s been so great to be reminded of what the Bible says about this. Pastor Levi has covered topics such as pain, purity & family…as platforms of influence. [It’s not just about Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!]. I don’t want to throw social media under the bus here, but those who desire to build an audience and readership- we know it takes the investment of time to build that. How much more nurturing do our children deserve? This past weekend was titled ” The Family Is A Microphone.” If you can set aside some time to listen to the series– I highly recommend it.
To all the moms reading this….look no further than your home as you seek to have a greater platform and influence. There’s not a sweeter place to invest your efforts than your home. Do this with joy! This is my anthem this year.
Last weekends message at church really hit home to me. There is no greater responsibility than raising children. Yes, it’s a lot of hard work. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes. What we do, as mothers…matters. As long as there is breath in our lungs….our job is never “done.” I often hear parents refer to their job being done once their kids turn eighteen and/or leave the nest. I beg to differ. What our kids need from us as newborns, 10 year olds, 18 year olds, 35 year olds and 50 year olds…will differ as seasons change, but the bottom line is that we will always have influence as we steward this responsibility well.
Ezra is a little warrior that we are raising up…we pray daily that he comes to know and love Jesus with all his heart and mind. To live a life committed to the Word of God. Reed and I have made mistakes in the past….and have discussed in great detail how we would like to raise Ezra up in a different way than how we were raised. We are not bashing our parents or our upbringing, but we do desire to parent and lead by a new standard. We believe it’s powerful and productive for each generation to be stronger than the last….and we want to pass on a rich legacy to Ezra.
Children watch our every move and pay close attention to the words we speak. It’s not helpful to look at babies as merely babies. Ezra is 13 months old today and he is already mimicking little things that I do. Arrows in the hands of warriors- this is a really big deal. We are in training- a life-long boot camp.
So my arrow….yes, permanently placed on my arm….not only a reminder of my son, but my calling in life. A mother- a leader- an example- a parenting partnership with Reed- the main focus in life being the end target. I don’t take this lightly and I can’t afford to either.
“The Bible describes children as arrows in the hand of a warrior. They are weapons to be launched out as bright lights in a dark world. As parents we are archers and our job is to do all we can to help them hit the target.” -pastor Levi Lusko [read his full blog post here]
Be Encouraged! Lead Well! Start today!
XO
