Let me tell you about a simple two-letter word I have come to treasure. It is an easily overlooked word in its commonality. I look for it hidden away in certain written sentiments, and when I find it, it ministers to my heart. As a mother, I?have come to experience it’s true meaning in my life, and it is my hope you will come to experience it’s true meaning in yours as well.
In our family, special occasions have always meant handmade cards from our children. If you’re a mother, then you probably have a similar collection of your own. My precious collection of beautiful cards has grown over the years, not only in number, but in thoughtfulness of sentiment as well.
When my daughter, Kathryn, was fourteen, she noticed that I kept trying to find a special place to display her and her brother’s precious card-gifts. As their abilities developed their cards became more like miniature works of art, and I found it hard to just put them away with my other keepsakes. And so, Kathryn surprised me with the gift of a special box that she hand-painted. I tied a ribbon around it and placed it on my favorite bookshelf.
My card-gifts eventually overflowed the box, and so I keep the oldest of my children’s cards in it, and began displaying newer ones in baskets, on a knickknack shelf or the fireplace mantel. Jim and I are truly blessed with our children’s personal works of art especially made for us, and I especially look forward to their newest creations.
Even though our children have always loved and served with us as true “sons and daughters”, these cards are special in that they took extra care to remind us of their hearts toward us. As our children grew older and their lives increased in responsibilities, Kathryn, our family artist, often made a card for everyone else to write in their personal sentiments. I look forward to these special love-gifts from my precious one’s hearts.
My children’s handwritten sentiments to their dad and me have always said similar things, but it was fun to witness the maturing of their heart-felt sentiments as they grew older and became adults. As children they would express how they “loved” us or how “very much” they loved us, but as they matured in true sacrificial love and in their understanding of love’s actions, they began to use the word “so.” Today, this word stands out the most to me, and it is the word I?write of here.
“I love you, Mom, so much…
“Thank you, Mom, so much…”
“Thank you so much for always being there for me…”
“I am so blessed to have you as my mom…”
I treasure this word “so.” I’m reminded of the most beloved verse in the Bible. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16). He loved us “to such a degree” or “to that degree” that He proved it by dying for us so that we might live where He lives. Our Heavenly Father sowed sacrificially to prove His love for us that His influence in our lives would be secured and preserved through Love. His desire for us as His children is that we mature into becoming true sons and daughters who adopt the concerns of our Father’s business, choosing to serve Him well.
The parent-child relationship is the only human relationship that can bring forth this higher order goal of becoming true sons and daughters. To preserve and secure our influence with our children, we too must learn to love as God loves us. I urge you to receive the generous and wise correction and instruction of the Lord’s influence on your conscience so you can lead your children in love, and in so doing lead them to the Father.
Children need to experience their parents’ love daily. Demonstrate to them how much you love them through many positive actions to engage their hearts with your own. They will come to deeply appreciate and love you so much that they will bless and honor you as they mature, and you will give glory to God.
I’m so grateful today that as the Lord has graciously increased my family with a son-in-love and daughter-in-love, I’m blessed with more and more loving sentiments. Recently, my daughter, Kathryn, presented me with another thoughtfully made box. This one is for saving treasures from my grandchildren, beginning with Jesse’s very first card to Grandma.
Thank You, Lord!
You are welcome to ‘friend’ me on Facebook to view the photo album of my daughter’s individual, handmade Christmas ‘card-gifts.’
[Copyright © December 2010 Marilyn Howshall]
Hi Marilyn,
What a wonderful article! Thank you! You ministered to my mother’s heart. Yes, that little word “so” is soooo wonderful! My great kids and grands have used it to bless me! I love the way you weaved that word into a message about how our loving Father loves us!
Merry Christmas dear friend.
Love,
Karen
(Phil. 4:13!)
Thank you, Karen, and bless you for letting me know how you enjoyed the analogy. Many blessings to you and your family this Christmas!
Marilyn, Such a blessing to be able to spend quiet moments looking back and remembering. They are all so beautiful I’m so glad you shared these. I too have been blessed by my children in this way and the words as they have grown hold so much meaning. Even in texting they have often shared deep sentiments throughout the day. You so touched my heart about how my heavenly Father sowed sacrificially to prove His love for me, His influence in my life securing and preserving me through Love. I’m learning to be more and more grateful. It is the deep longing within my heart–to so love my children to influence them. You have been such a model of this to me. I praise Him for every new day is new opportunity for growth.
Love Becky
Thank you, Becky, for sharing. God has been good to lead you through and into increasingly more truth and light! We give glory to God with you in the holding of your family in His hands.
Thank you for sharing this Marilyn. It reminded me of all the little things my girls make me that are stuffed in my filing cabinet. I don’t want to let them go, but I don’t display them either. Once or twice my youngest has found something of hers in a pile and expressed her disappointment. I don’t have a lot of room in my house for display, but I should find some way to do so.
(Sigh) But now I’m thinking that sounds like people pleasing behavior and the problem is not that I should display them, it is that I am not connected enough to have wanted to before now. But, it would probably be good to do so now and recognize and work on this one more sign of my lack of relationship? Well, thank you for sharing. It was beautiful. 🙂
Thank you Renee, for sharing what you just saw about your own relationships with your little ones.
I might add that the more I invested sacrificially into my children’s hearts, souls, character, and relationships, the more dear they became to me. This was a miraculous result of self-sacrifice. I can only imagine our Heavenly Father feels the same way about those of His children who have allowed Him more personal investment in the forming of Christlikeness in their character. Investment does that. It brings the object of investment closer to your heart, and of course any outflow of the children’s learning processes and affections are dear to you too, since they represent a relationship to you where “hearts are fully locked together in love.” This is not to say God doesn’t love all of His children equally, but a loving relationship that goes two-way is always going to be more dear than one that does not, just like in human relationships.
I encourage you to invest more deeply in knowing your children at the heart-level, while at the same time allowing God more influence of love in yours. You will come to treasure your children more and more everyday. May the Lord constrain you with His love, enable you with His power, and impart insight and wisdom for your relationships.
This was a precious and dear-to-my-heart writing Marilyn. Not only because of the warm fuzzes it brings knowing that I have three special boxes in my bedroom (one for each of my children) that are filled with their cards, written sentiments, little handmade gifts, and so forth–but for the joy in knowing that you and other mom’s are recipients of these priceless treasures too! Thanks for sharing about the word ‘so’. I’ve never thought about it, but from now on, I will be noticing it, AND appreciating it SOOOO much! Love to you!
Thank you Carole for your sweet comments. I too am ‘so’ glad you have such precious treasures in your home, but will be noticing this little word more in the coming years of special opportunities for your precious ones to bless and honor you.