I and the Children God Has Given Me

Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.
Isa 8:18 This verse is quoted in Hebrews 2:13.

Sometimes in the daily grind of making a living and raising a family, I forget that these children are not really mine. They are a gift from God, that I have responsibility for right now. I am a steward of these gifts from God. I will need to give account for how I trained them and what kind of example I was to them. I will be accountable for the contribution and lack of it that my children make to God's kingdom and society around them.

Also, sometimes I forget why they were given to me: "for signs and for wonders." God wants to use my children to bring glory to him. He wants to use them to make other people think of Him. He wants them to be people that He can do miracles through. This can be hard for parents sometimes. Think of the man that was born blind. Before Jesus healed him, the disciples asked, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" (John 9:2) What did Jesus say: "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him." God wanted to do a miracle in this man's life. God wanted to draw people to himself, and He did so in a miraculous way.

But, let's look at it from the perspective of his parents for a moment. In their culture, health issues were a sign that someone had sinned. For example, think of the accusations of Job's friends. The disciples said that same thing: someone sinned that this man is blind. On top of the difficulty of raising a blind child, these parents likely had to deal with critical friends and the disapproving scribes and pharisees. We may have to face the same thing today when God gives us children so that He can receive the glory. He loves us. He wants us to experience the miracles He has planned for our lives, but we'll never receive them if we dwell on criticisms from other people and allow ourselves to wallow in self-pity because God hasn't given us "perfect" children.

Lord, help me to remember that my children are really Yours. Help me to treasure the gifts that they are from You. Help me to remember that I've been entrusted with them so that You can do miracles and bring glory to Yourself. Help me to realize that they are not at all to boost my reputation and my ego. Help me to rely on Your strength to raise them as You want me to. I thank You for them.

Praise the Lord!