Little Warrior Boys

     Several months ago during worship at church the Holy Spirit spoke to me, and while I don't ever take anything lightly that I hear from The Lord, this specific instance carries with it a whole lot of weight.  Not thinking about parenting at all, but just with hands lifted and my voice singing praises to my King I heard, "I have given you boys; boys to be men, men to be warriors, warriors for me."  

     "Whoa!" I thought to myself.  When it comes to parenting, I've always had goals of raising polite kids who will choose to follow Christ, but when I heard this I thought, "Okay, there's more to this whole parenting thing than just raising 'nice, polite' kids. God what are you entrusting me with?  This is a HUGE responsiblility!"  Not that raising kids isn't a huge responsibility in and of itself, because trust me with two boys, it's a challenge to just get through the day without a trip to the ER, but raising warriors?  

     Fortunatelly, we have another, larger, more experienced warrior living in our home.  As most of you know, my husband is a soldier in the US Army and has spent as much of our married life overseas in war zones as he has at home.  And if there's one thing he and his men do all the time, it's train.  They constantly keep up to speed with the weapons and technology which are available to them.  They fire their weapons at the ranges reapeatedly to make sure they are prepared for the attacks of the enemy.  And when my husband comes home at night, he doesn't stop being a soldier.  Don't get me wrong, he's not the type of dad that barks orders at the kids and me, but rather mentally, he is always prepared.  He is disciplined to look like, act like, and think like a soldier.  Being a soldier has been engrained in him; it has become part of who he is.  

     So, when I look at him and then at my little boys, who are 2 and 4, I realize we have a long way to go. After that Sunday, I have to say, I approach parenting a little differently now.  And while the monotony of everyday life can be a monster to be reckoned with, I strive to be more intentional.  I long to see their love for Jesus and people be real and tangible.  I want them to see and understand that even if they are the coolest superheroes on the planet, they still need God's mercy and grace.  I want them to recognize how blessed they are and we are as a family.  I want them to have mercy and compassion. I want them to know God's Word and how to fight the enemy.  I want them to know they are part of something bigger than this world can see.  I want them to be warriors-warriors for HIM!  

     Oh yeah, one more quick little thing, we're having another baby and could you believe it? It's a boy- another little warrior!