One evening while I was sitting at the kitchen table, my son, Ethan, who is 7 years old, came in wearing his policeman helmet and carrying two swords. He asked me if I think he has any more weapons on him.  I looked at him; just enjoying the fact that he is all dressed up and said, “I don’t know, do you?”  He lifted up his shirt and there, to my amazement, are more swords and daggers attached to his shorts.  I had to laugh because Ethan is dressed for battle and enjoying the fact that he has so many weapons on his body.  As I am looking at my son, I start to remember the book of Ephesians where it talks about putting on The Full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). Ethan is standing in front of me with his swords and helmet and ready to do battle. But our battle today is not of flesh and blood but a spiritual battle.  Are you equipping yourself for spiritual warfare today?  We all need to stand ready to fight Satan with the Full Armor of God. 

After Ethan had showed me all of his weapons, he said, “Mom, I don’t really know what I want to do when I grow up.”  I looked at him and said, “Ethan, I still do not know what I want to do when I grow up.” He just looked at me and said, “But Mom, you already are grown up.”  I said, “Ethan, just because I am a grown up doesn’t mean I really know what God wants me to do with my life.” And he said, “Mom, since you have been a mom for so long (that would be 7 years of Ethan’s life), I think God wants you to be a mom. I think that is what he wants you to do right now.” I just looked at Ethan and realized that he was probably right.  Being a mom is a wonderful job, and I should embrace it wholeheartedly as God would want me to do.  He has given me the gift and the privilege to raise three very unique and wonderful children. I thank God that He has blessed me with Anthony, Emily and Ethan, and I need to remember that being a mom is a job that is great and pleasing unto Him.  God gives children wisdom; they see things that we adults sometimes no longer see. May we listen very carefully to what our children have to say, for God uses them to bring us closer to him.  Children are our reward. May we regard each child as God’s gift to us.

 Psalms 127:3