Mother's Day Blessings!

The greatest gift a mother can receive is to know that her children have grown up to be great parents.  Parents that love their children and parents that teach their children to pray. 

There was a pastor on tv yesterday that spoke of "conditional love" that some parents have for their children.  I only caught a little bit of the message by Dr. Charles Stanley, but the term "conditional love" really caught my attention.  You hear of God's unconditional love for His children, and we are to love likewise, but you don't hear of  "conditional love."

This world is so full of hurting children!  Children that bear the brunt of angry parents, children that must live up to unrealistic expectations, children whose wills are broken so that they live in total subjugation and fear of controlling parents, children that are abused verbally and physically.  Discipline should be a teaching tool, not a punishment.  Children should not be beaten because mom or dad is angry.  We are to have an enduring love, filled with patience and longsuffering love for the child, as God has for us.   What is so hard to just love the child?  That child has a natural love for the parent.  Let that love grow, blossom,  and reach out into the world.   

Jesus tells us that we must become as children to enter heaven.   Heaven is for the innocent, those whose sins have been washed away; and then we, as children of God, in humbleness and love, will enter into the majesty and glory of our Lord!

Matthew 18:2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.