We have probably all heard of a sacrificial lamb-“a metaphorical reference to a person or animal sacrificed for the common good.” Well, as parents, we should be sacrificing FOR our little lambs….our children… NOT making them sacrifice for US! When they are in the womb, we sacrifice our bodies for them. Whether you are nursing or bottle-feeding, you are sacrificing your sleep when they are newborns….and even beyond the newborn phase. When they get sick, we have to sacrifice our plans and stay home with them. When WE are sick, we still have to care for them and their needs. Their clothing, food, shelter, medical needs…not to mention their emotional and spiritual needs…or even their education…are our responsibilities! So our needs and our finances are sacrificed so they can have what they need. I can’t imagine for even a minute what it must be like to give up a child for adoption…but THAT is the ultimate sacrifice…the birth parents know that their baby deserves things they cannot provide. Their sacrifice was for the common good of the child…not the parent.
Jesus Christ was our propitiation…atonement or appeasement to God…He sacrificed Himself for the common good of MANKIND! Human or animal sacrifices are no longer necessary because of Jesus! BUT I must sacrifice parts of my life as I am raising my “lambs.” They are only mine for a short time…they are ultimately God’s…but in that time I have them, they need to be taught, shaped, molded, guided and even disciplined…for their good…and the rest of the world’s good, too. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Each week, I have the privilege of being a part of Moms With Swords….a women’s bible study led by Joy Chambley. One of Joy’s sermons was about SPENDING TIME WITH YOUR KIDS…YOU need to be the biggest influence in their lives…not their friends, not their teachers, not their babysitter and not even their grandparents. Hopefully, the people involved in their lives are positive influences, but YOU should be spending the most time with them. Joy said, “TIME is a prerequisite for (perceptive) parenting.” If you aren’t spending time with them how can you perceive what is going on in their hearts…or what is going on in their minds?!
Now, we live in a fallen world with fallen sinful people….” for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”…Romans 3:23…but if you don’t enjoy being around your children because of their behaviors or attitudes….CHANGE them…mold them…they are not stone…they are like clay in the Potter’s hands.
Daily Verse-
Isaiah 64:8-“Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
Daily Prayer-
Oh, Father God, I long to be the clay in your hands and to be shaped into a beautiful masterpiece! Sometimes I resist and don’t want to change, but you chisel away at the imperfections in me and smooth out the rough spots. I am Yours, Lord, and I desire to be my best and I know that that comes from allowing you to have your way with me. Amen.
Passions, Pitfalls and Plenty of Prayer 
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