A Letter from Mom

My sweet boys,

I want to begin this letter to you by saying that being your mother has been the highest honor, my greatest privilege, and the most profound joy I have ever experienced in my life. In the few moments I have found each of you sitting still, I always seem to find myself holding my breath as I study every detail of your face, hair, fingers, and toes. The way God intentionally left a fingerprint of His love for you on every unique detail leaves me absolutely undone. I see His sovereignty when I look deeply into your beautiful dark brown eyes, vast with wonder and light. I see His kindness when I study the lines of your soft, tender hands and pray about the future He has already prepared for you. I see His strength when I admire your delicate, perfectly shaped toes and pray that as He strengthens you to stand firm in your faith He would give you courage to follow wherever He leads. I pray that as you grow, these tiny feet grow into the beautiful feet that only a lifetime of serving God and loving others can bring.

My heart often swells at the thought of God allowing me to be the one to intercede on your behalf more than anyone else. Constantly I am lifting you both up before our Father, that He would make straight the paths ahead for you. I pray that not one second of your life goes by that you do not know how great my love is for you, and how even greater still is God’s love for you. And while there are a multitude of areas in which I fail, I hope I can rest assured that you never doubt my love for you and how proud I am of you, and how overwhelmingly thankful I am everyday for you. As mothers, we have been given a uniquely wonderful task that is hard—yet holy. We are given the honor of stewarding your hearts and your gifts while you are young, so that when you are grown, out of your own desire you may continue to offer them back to God. It is then that you will experience the boundless joy of living the life He made just for you—a holy, abundant, deeply satisfying life, despite whatever your circumstances might be.

My role is to keep you safe, and to show you that no matter where you find yourself in life, you are kept by a loving and gracious God. As much as I want to keep you close to me, tightly under my wing and safe from anything that might cause you harm—there is no safer place for you to remain than in the palm of His hand. Isaiah 52:12 tells us that God goes before us and behind us, our lives our never left to chance. God is continuously redeeming our past and preparing our future, and He holds us near all the while. My prayer for each of you, young yet mighty warriors of God, is that while you are in that tender, sacred space of time with God between your past and your future, you would hold tightly to the goodness of God. Never hesitate to trust that He is absolutely for you. Tune your heart to the beat of His character and you will know with unwavering confidence what His good and perfect will is for your life. Make every step you take, every decision you make a reflection of His love for you and for others, and every moment of your life will make an eternal difference. People tend to wander from the nearness of God and begin to doubt His goodness. They find themselves seeking the meaning of life to no avail. Do not fall into that trap. This snare is cleverly set by one who will do anything in his power to hinder you from doing what God has made you to do.

Above all these things, I urge you to always remember that life apart from Christ is no life at all. Keep your eyes heavenward and your mind on things above. There is one verse that encompasses everything I could ever hope to pray for you:

“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,[a]
and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:8

This alone is my biggest prayer and my most extravagant hope for you both. That God would grant you the wisdom to make the right choice all the days of your life. Over and over again in Scripture God makes it evident that justice and righteousness go hand in hand. Without it, everything pure is corrupt and darkness gains ground in our hearts. Don’t give the enemy one inch of territory in your life. Hold fast to kindness; hold faithfulness in the highest regard. The Lord relentlessly pursues you—there is no greater adventure than to live your life pursuing Him as well. I urge you to walk humbly with God every day you are given on this earth. This is that sacred, holy space in which He keeps you. His goodness is tangible. His faithfulness to you is evident. Remember to go humbly only where He would lead, as it is He who conquered the Cross at which you kneel at for forgiveness.

My sons, I pray you take none of this lightly. My heart knows no greater love than the love He offers, no greater joy than a life lived to serve Him. My hope, like God’s will for you, is that you would find life abundant in justice, faithfulness, and walking with God every minute of your life—until we are praising Him for it together in eternity.

With all my love,

Mom