Mothers Who Speak with Vision and Hope

Are you a mother who speaks with vision and hope?

I have learned over the years that I not only need to pray for my children but I also need to  speak intentionally and actively into their lives. I have thought about the simple words my own mother has spoken to be in the past and how they resonate with me today (the good and yes, even the bad) and I realize the powerful and magnificent impact that we have upon each of our children's lives and self image.

Here are some examples:

I am cooking in the kitchen and ask Joy (my youngest daughter) to help me dice some tomatoes. She happily obliges. I glance over at her work and say, "Joy, you are doing such a great job! You are going to be a fantastic cook for your own family one day."

I am giving her self confidence, encouragement and vision to help her look at her future and begin dreaming about it. This is all while she is learning valuable skills in the kitchen. I know this seems so simple, but sometimes we need to be reminded that the small things we say to our children count. No small thing is too little when it comes to their future!

#2:

I am at the dinner table. We are sharing a meal with the children. I start to vision cast: "Children, I can't wait until you are all older with your own families.  Joy will  go over to Joshua's house and bring cookies-you'll be such a great aunt!  Naomi will visit Janai and help her with her garden. Janai, I can come over and help with your children. Imagine the big family get-togethers with all the grandchildren and extended family. How exciting--I can't wait."

(At this point the children are all excited and talking about what their homes will look like, jobs they will have, their weddings, which holidays will be hosted at who's home, who will have the most children, etc.) 

This helps to enrich the vision of their future. Mothers are enrichers. We are talking about keeping strong relationships in the future, about strong homes, we are talking about placing dreams and hopes in their hearts that will hopefully be born one day.

So much of the world is negative. Mothers need to be wise. Mothers need to be bold. We need to be intentional.

Don't get discouraged, I know we are just mere sinners, trying to share a holy vision with eternal souls. We will fail, we won't always get it right. Things will slip out of our mouths that we will regret. But we need to repent, to them and God when we fail.  Repent and do right. 

We need to build up our children and the hopes we have for them one day. We need to talk about what they will look like serving the Lord and when they are older how they will serve the Kingdom (and now as well), what kind of fathers and mothers they will be. What kind of spouses. The funny thing that I have found, is that when I am doing this it encourages my heart too!

We also need to  remember to put away any foolish talk that is not edifying. Discouragement, harsh criticism, nagging, anger, etc. The Bible calls us to be sober-minded. And sober-minded we must be. Sober-minded moms are not intentionally tearing down their children but make every effort to build them up with love.

Mothers, if you have failed at this in the past, do everything in your power to start new. Our days our numbered--begin speaking vision and hope into your children's lives today.

What ways can you speak vision and hope into your family right now?

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