Keep up the good fight, mothers. The world needs you.
I wouldn't be here if not for the prayers of my grandmother. She prayed nightly for each of her many grandchildren by name. I wouldn't be here if not for the prayers of my mother that sustain me to this very hour. There are moments that I'm fighting darkness and the pressures of this world, and I know my mama is praying for me. She sends me text messages all the time telling me she’s praying for me, reminding me of the promises of God.
Many wonderful mothers and fathers spend sleepless nights worrying that their mistakes will have long-term effects on their children. But does your broken marriage guarantee that your child will one day divorce or be divorced by their spouse? No. Are your present financial struggles an indicator of your child’s future poverty? Of course not.
Why? Because Jesus has broken every curse. When Jesus said, “It is finished” on the cross on Good Friday, it was finished. The bonds of sin and shame were broken. Mothers, your children will make you proud. Their lives might be in shambles right now. They may not be serving God or want anything to do with him. But I believe the Holy Spirit can touch the hearts of your children to such a degree that even prodigal sons and daughters will come back home.
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That’s why it’s important that we confront the “giants” in our lives, giants like depression, anxiety, fear, sin, confusion and addiction. Our fallen giants will be the bridge that our children utilize to step into their God-ordained purposes. If God can bring us out of bondage to those giants, then God can bring our children out, too.
According to Apostle Paul, we are more than conquerors because God conquers on our behalf (Romans 8:37). By the grace of God, we can leave a spiritual inheritance for our children that will allow them to walk in divine purpose — a purpose hell cannot stop.
To every mother who has the courage to believe her role as a parent or guardian is a sacred trust — not just for the birth mothers, adoptive mothers, foster mothers, but for the spiritual mothers as well — I want you to hear me. There is a special blessing for the mothers who weather the storms of life, and we know mothers are storm chasers and storm survivors. The blessing is for the mother who wakes up in the wee hours of the morning to feed her children and the blessing is for the mother who wakes up when that baby is now a teenager or an adult, interceding and weeping for her child.
I pray you receive all of these blessings for you and your children and their children for years to come. But how do we realize all of these promises?
We need to tell our children about them. Tell your children about the cross, about the empty tomb. Don't just tell them that Jesus delivers; show them how he has changed your life. Don't just tell them to pray; show them how to pray.
If we instruct our children in the ways of the Lord, when they get older, they will not forget those teachings even if they wander from them for a while. So receive the peace of God right now in your home, in your mind and in your soul. Your children will not inherit your sins. Your children will inherit your blessings.
Keep fighting the good fight, mothers. You are more than conquerors.
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, executive producer of “Breakthrough” with 20th Century Fox and author of “From Survive to Thrive: Live a Holy, Healed, Healthy, Happy, Humble, Hungry, and Honoring Life” (Charisma House Publishing), a best-seller on Amazon. CNN and FOX News have called him “the leader of the Hispanic Evangelical movement” and TIME magazine nominated him among the 100 most influential leaders in America.
