Mom Heart Moments #71

The LORD bless you, and keep you; the LORD make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.

“MAMA, WILL YOU SQUISH INTO my bed with me so we can talk just for a little while tonight?” my young-adult child begged with wistful eyes.

“How can I resist time with one of my best friends in all the world? What’s on your heart, Tookies?” Tookies was a nickname that had somehow evolved during her early years and could certainly be used on her birthday after she had been duly celebrated.

“You know, I didn’t even know how emotionally empty I was. It seems there are battlegrounds everywhere in my life —at college, at work, with friends, everyplace. I feel alone and sometimes battle with doubt —you know me!

“Today, when everyone told me what they appreciated about my life, how glad they were that I was their sister, and when you and Daddy invested your words of faith in who I am, the woman I have become, my heart just soaked it in. All day I’ve been reviewing all the things that were said. I’ve thought about the round-table prayers for my life, and it all seems sweeter to me than ever before. It’s as though the love poured into me on my birthday is an anchor that keeps pulling me back to what we all believe together.”

When my children were growing up, I didn’t know if they were listening or paying attention. Yet today I’m beginning to see the fruits of our years of deliberately speaking forward into their lives. Reminding them that they are uniquely special to God, that His fingerprints are on their lives and on the story they will tell through their own days, has shaped the individuals they’re becoming.

What elements of blessing can you find in today’s Scripture? Reword the passage so that it becomes a blessing you could speak into the life of someone you love.