“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11).
I am a people watcher. Anytime I’m in a crowd, I get totally engrossed in observing what people do and how they behave, especially anyplace where I’m sitting still, such as a mall or in an airport. Observing people can often bring on different reactions in me, even to the point of moving me emotionally. Sometimes, I laugh when funny things happen. I have gotten angry before when I’ve seen parents mistreat their children. I remember once, I overheard a mother cursing at her children and calling them names. I wished that somehow, I could just let her replay that moment to herself. It was very sad to see the looks on the faces of her little boy and girl. She obviously was not the kind of mom she should have been to those children.
I’m sure that being the mother of three children and the grandmother of two is the reason why my attention usually zeros in on this particular species of human beings, mothers. It never ceases to amaze me that some moms are always teaching, nurturing, and encouraging. If they are the kind of mother they should be, then they always want what’s best for their most valuable possessions.They try to soothe hurt feelings and constantly instill good values into their children, along with a sense of self-worth. Many times the child’s response to these things is, “you have to say that because you’re my mom.”
I have always known it, but I am ever reminded in such circumstances that this is a lifetime journey. It is very time consuming and, I might add, “life consuming.” It never stops, no matter how old a child grows. It continues all the way into their adult years. If you are privileged to live and love long enough, it lasts even after your children become grandparents themselves.
I am always encouraged when I read this passage in Matthew of how our heavenly Father loves us even more than we love our children. It seems hard to believe, but it’s true. Search the Scriptures, and you will find out. He loved us so much that He gave His life so that we could be free. Free from what? Free from the lasting effects of discouragement, heartache, and disillusionment, just to name a few. I emphasize free from the effects because these intruders will still come into our lives from time to time, and when they do, He cares enough to help us through them, just as we help our children.
Hebrews 4:15 tells us that He is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (KJV). He cares when things trouble us.
