TELL ME ONCE AGAIN WHO I AM!

From Beth:

"Tell me ONCE AGAIN who I am to you, that I belong to you." I so love these lyrics from Jason Gray's song, Remind Me Who I Am. Our worship team played this at H@HKids! while some of the team enacted a skit about identity--that who God says I am trumps any lie I might believe about myself. 

It is they cry of every one of us! 

It is the privileged role of every mother and father to tell each one of our children once again-- 
over and over and over and over,
year after year after year after year

You are my precious child. You are the one I love. You are special to me. You are a treasure.

When our children were little they would want to read the same book every night before bed-- 
night after night after night after night. 
Or they would want to watch the same movie, fast-forwarding to their favorite scene-- 
day after day after day after day.

Children are just that way, taking in something of value to them through repetition. 

And it is that way with us, even now as adults. Stephen told me he loved me when we got married. And he meant it. But I need to hear it once again--
over and over and over and over,
day after day after day after day.

So, let's call forth the treasure of each one of our children, telling them ONCE AGAIN, who they are. 

• Speak it in season and out of season. 
• Speak it when your child embraces their identity as the beloved, and speak it when your child denies the truth of it, either through their words or through their actions. 
• Speak it when you see it with your eyes, and speak it when you don't. 
• Speak it when they are in front of you listening, and speak it when they have gone to bed and only you and God can hear.
• Speak it when your heart is full of the truth of it, and speak it when the words seem like a lie even to you.

Speak it--
over and over and over and over, 
day after day after day after day,
year after year after year after year.

For many of our children who have suffered loss, rejection, neglect and more through their relinquishment, this repetition over days and years is a simple yet powerful key to the healing work God is doing. And for our children who have never known anything but the solid truth of their state as the beloved, this repetition will be the gift that never grows old. Just as I never tire of hearing Stephen tell me he loves me, so do we all never tire of hearing the words of truth that we belong, that we are loved, that we are treasured.

When this "telling once again" underlies all of our parenting, we find ourselves in constant communication with the Lord, asking, "Who is this child?" 
We find ourselves parenting forward with God's eternal purposes in mind, reminded once again that God is up to something in this child that far surpasses the behavior of the moment. 
We find ourselves moved once again with hope, because the promises of God do not disappoint, even though both our parenting and our children sometimes do.

...endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. (Romans 5:3-5 NLT)

Father God, would you tell me today something about _____________? Who is this child? When You think about _______________, what do you say? And would You show me how to weave the truth of his/her identity into my parenting day after day after day after day? Thank You and Amen!

We know you noticed that obnoxiously flashing button at the top of this page! Click on that to learn more about our Hope at Home 2013 Conference, September 27-28. If you like what we are doing on this blog, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, then you won't want to miss this conference!