Lee Anne looked me straight in the eye, from her crouched position, with great confidence and gusto, her words knifing the lies with intesity and strength:
"You are a good mom,
And she will be great in His Kingdom!"
Her words stopped me in strict halt, the force like a blunt blow, sharp; with such clear, discerning, distinct assurance, shocking the energy in my tirade.
Speaking the Truth of God slaps Satan. His word is referenced as "alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing the soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4: 12)
When Lee Anne spoke those words, it was as if she was using the armor of God to attack Satan's lies in my motherhood, my view of my daughter, my role in the Kingdom. She carried and handed me the "belt of truth and sword of the spirit" (Ephesians 6) and armed me with gospel-vision, concrete hope, and God's eyes for my daughter.
So often I see my daughter as "so much." Which entails: so much -- so much energy, so much force, so much consuming, so much passion, so much crazy, just SO MUCH! Sometimes this "so much" is beautiful, joyous and full of radiant, bright-eyed curiosity and naked, toddling, running butt cheeks scampering away with jolly giggles. But, I confess, "so much" also translates justifying my frustration with her constant inertia, squeezing need, relentless spirit, grueling focus, and ravaging personhood.
But when Lee Ann called the gospel-eyes, Christ-life, kingdom-focus words over her, the vision of who my daughter is in Christ, cleared away the hazed, suffocating fog of the world, of Satan, of comparison away, and let me see her for the radiance of the image of God he created her to be: Great in his Kingdom!
The scales fell from my eyes with those words, and I saw her for who she was, and what her role will be in His Kingdom. Only with this renewed vision, resurrected hope, and restored gospel perspective, can I see the greater whole, the eternal glory that God creates with each hour, with each training choice, with each moment of mothering I cling to Christ for with my Camilla.
Her passion may billow into fearless leadership, strong-willed confidence, and unwavering faith. Her sense of adventure, curiosity, and ravenous energy may just propel her to be a woman who is defiant against injustice, firm in the Truth, and and strengthening the weary.
Strong, focused, determined little children can grow up to be mighty, forceful, bold leaders for the sake of Christ, justice, and humanity. People like William Wilberforce, Billy Graham, Biblical Deborah, David Livingstone, Hudson Taylor, Jim Elliot, and the Apostle Paul were all zealous creatures, strong-willed and firm in their faith as well as forceful in their actions, but the "zeal of His house consumed" them (Psalm 69:9 John 2:17) and they did great things for the Kingdom.
These are the prayers I have for my daughter. That God uses her sparked passion, her lust for learning, her diligence in task, her sharp focus, her abounding personality to strenghthen His kingdom.
May the words of Proverbs 31 be true of her: "She is clothed with strength and dignity, she has no fear of the future." May the Lord redeem me, and use her, to be great in his Kingdom. Amen.
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** Truth noted: a quiet and gentle spirit can also be great in His Kingdom, but that is not the focus of what the Lord was redeeming for me and teaching me here.
