“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” (Psalm 139:14, ESV)
Affirm: To validate, to assert as valid or confirmed, or to express dedication to.
This earthly world does a good job of robbing us of the affirmation our hearts instinctively crave. The affirmation God has created each of us uniquely and wonderfully. The truth and affirmation that we need to hide in our hearts (and share liberally with our children) is that God loves us for who we are and for who he has created us to be. Although the world does a good job of distracting us and trying to convince us otherwise, we must be vigilant to remember God’s affirmation of us and we must affirm and dedicate our hearts to Him.
Sweet Heavenly Father, you knit each of us together. You knit each of our children together. Your amazing love of each one of us is beyond my understanding but I am so thankful. And I am thankful too for the opportunity you have given me in parenting my child. Please, I pray, help us to share this truth with our children. The truth that each one is a unique and special creation designed especially by You. Help each of us to affirm that truth to their hearts today.
“For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true)” (Ephesians 5:8-9, ESV)
“This little light of mine. I’m gonna let it shine….”
Do you remember singing that as a child? I confess I sang that song yesterday and I actually sing it quite often. The very simple words of that song serve as a reminder to my heart that I want to be a light in the dark world in which we live. It’s a reminder too that my children need me to be a light for them to ensure they can see the path God has placed them on in this life until their own flames shine a little larger.
The world and culture in which we live today can be a dark place. But we have God’s word to guide us and other believers to encourage us as we seek to reflect God’s light to the world. Pray today that the Lord would strengthen your faith and grow your child’s faith from a tiny candle flame to one so large it could fill a lighthouse.
“He has told you, O man, what is good;and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness,and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8, ESV)
We are a part of God’s beautiful creation. But all too often we become so proud and full of our own importance that we forget we are in fact the creation… and not the Creator. Our pride does a disservice to us all for when we are big there is no room for God’s glory. When we are small, and humble, we can see our need for complete dependence on God and His glory shines and lights up the world.
Pray that the next time you or your child is tempted toward pride that you would remember Micah 6:8 and that you would remember that a prideful heart is the opposite of what the Lord requires of us all.
Pray that God would fill you both with humility as His creation.
Written by Katie Howard Clemens
