Bible Studies

The Best Gift

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates. (Psalm 127:3-5)

Gifts…we all love to receive them, and many of us take great pleasure in giving them. I remember my childhood Christmases. We didn’t live a very frivolous life, but when it came to Christmas my parents went all out.

We would open gifts from aunts, uncles, and grandparents. My Granny’s floor would be a sea of wrapping paper as we all tore into our bounty. Those were great gifts and we were thrilled to get them.

But the best gifts, the ones we anticipated the most, were the ones my parents (also known as Santa) gave us. What awesome gifts they were….those best gifts!

God gives us children. He gives them to us biologically or through adoption. He creates them specifically for us, weaving together personalities and physical traits chosen for us to live and nurture.

However we get them, they are the best gifts. What greater gift can we receive than that of being a mama? I have the joy of having four children biologically, but I also have had the blessing to be able to adopt three more.

What joy they all bring into my life! What beautiful memories fill my heart! What hopes I have for their futures and all the experiences we have to look forward to!

For most of us, God gives us our children in our younger years. My sweet Granny always said God gave them to us when we were young because when we got older, we wouldn’t have the energy for them.

I can relate to that in some ways. Having my four babies in my twenties and thirties, I had tons of energy for them. Adopting the last three a little later in life, I find it a little harder to keep up with them. But I do my best. I don’t want to miss a moment of the blessing God has given me.

Motherhood is a gift, but it is not like those gifts that were under my tree all those years ago. I would unwrap those, marvel at them, use them for whatever amount of time they held my interest, then go on to something else.

Being a mama is a gift I get to unwrap every day. There is always something new to discover and experience. There is always another blessing around the corner.

There are hard times too….times when my heart hurts, my temper flares, or I feel frustrated. There are times when I feel totally unequipped for this calling of motherhood.

But my sweet Lord whispers into my heart and reminds me that He chose me, He hand picked me for these children. I believe God uses our children to draw us closer to Him.

There are times when we are insecure in our abilities, terrified, frustrated, and overwhelmed. In those times, God is always there, reminding us that He never leaves or forsakes us.

He gently reassures us that we can do this, and we are never alone in this journey. He travels our path of sorrow and pain, and He runs alongside us in our joys and triumphs. He places His guiding hand upon us, leading us as we lead the ones He gave us….our very best gifts.

As you think on your experience as a mama, what are some of the ways God has used the beautiful gift of motherhood to change you, to draw you closer to Him?

Do you see God’s hand on your mama heart?

Father, we thank you today for the gift of our children. We thank you that you are always with us as we navigate through the hills and valleys of motherhood. Thank you, Father, that you trust us enough to give us our precious children, and thank you loving us enough to give us the very best gift. In Jesus’ name ~ Amen.