It was a chilly, dreary day. The rain beat against the glass doors while people congratulated us on the upcoming birth of our baby boy. There were blue balloons, festive foods, and gifts.
And there was this awkward uncertainty in the air.
It felt as if a big dark storm was about to roll in and we didn’t know exactly what would happen. In fact, we didn’t even fully understand what it meant that we were living in a worldwide pandemic. People were unsure if they should hug each other. Some had even decided to avoid this event due to the strange circumstances.
I will never forget that night where I felt a hopelessness rush over me unlike anything I had ever felt. Our sweet pastor and other ladies at our church had organized a lovely shower to celebrate our baby boy earlier that day. We felt so loved and encouraged as everyone prayed and prophesied over us and our little one.
But I couldn’t shake the feeling that everything felt so strange and uncertain.
I wept for the longest time that night in the shower. What in the world was going on? Why did this craziness all have to happen now, right when my son was about to be born? Why couldn’t life just be normal? What was going to happen? Were we all going to be ok? Would we make it? Was the world ending? Would my son be able to have a good, normal life?
They weren’t all rational fears. But my heart felt overwhelmed and I needed to express it.
That night, I cried more in bed while my husband listened tenderly to my heart. I had a wonderful time that day celebrating our son with our church family, but literally all I could feel was that it was all pointless. We were all going to die anyway.
Time went on and our city went into lockdown. Things didn’t get better. In fact, they got worse. But the Lord spoke something to my heart that changed everything.
“He is born for such a time as this.”
God knew when we conceived our little boy that the world he would be born into would be different. He knew that things would be shaking. He knew that evil and lawlessness would be more rampant than before. He knew there would be protests, and riots, and increased violence; political dramas, sickness, and lockdowns, and chaos. He knew.
And He chose April 2020 for Nathan to be born.
We aren’t the first generation to go through uncertain and challenging times. I’m not the first mama to give birth to a baby in the middle of a world-gone-wild. Think of the Civil War, World Wars 1&2, The Holocaust, The Black Plaque, The Swine Flu, The Great Depression, the times of persecution the church around the world has faced. I could list many more things.
How do I raise my children in this uncertain world? The same as every other believer before me: with and through Him. Trusting His leadership, His plan. Listening for His voice as He gently leads me. Speaking truth over my son and daughter and declaring who they are and His calling over their lives.
I cling more than ever to the promises of protection, peace, and prosperity. I wrestle in prayer and I plead the blood of Jesus over my family. I fight for peace within our walls and I refuse to allow the enemy any foothold in my life and the lives of my family. I shut down the noise of the world and I surround myself with truth.
I teach my children what it means to be lights in the darkness; to stand firm when everything around is shaking. I set an example of what it means to live whole-heartedly devoted to Jesus and desperate for His presence.
If you’re a fellow mama, I am pretty sure at some point your heart has been shaken by all that is going on. I’m quite sure you have felt the pains, disappointments, loss, and every other emotion so much of the world has felt in 2020. If you’re like me, you’ve cried a time or two (or three).
I’m here to tell you: our children were born for such a time as this. We are the ones God chose to raise little warriors and bringers of peace in the middle of this crazy time. Maybe this will all go down in history. Maybe this is the beginning of the end of the age. I don’t know. But I do know this, we must rise up to the occasion and be strong and steadfast. We must instill the gospel truths and the hunger for more of God in our children. We must set an example before them of a life fully set-apart for Christ.
And when you feel overwhelmed with raising children in this crazy world, remember, you aren’t doing it alone. He is with you and He is for you. And your children?
They were born for such a time as this.