Submitted by Stacey McKenzie, Ukraine
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2
Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Luke 12:32
Luke 12:32
Living overseas, our kids have had amazing opportunities to experience other cultures and languages. They’ve been involved first hand in ministry to the “least of these,” and have seen God work in incredible ways. They have also gotten used to a lot of transition. We have lived in various states and homes in the US and overseas, in seminary housing, at training centers, in small apartments and large flats. They have gone to public schools, Christian international schools, been homeschooled, and have attended foreign schools.
Our girls are also regular kids. They enjoy crafts, singing loudly, and playing outside. They also sometimes complain about coming along on outreach events, fight with each other and misbehave. We try to discipline them, but sometimes it’s hard. There have been times when their injuries or sickness could have been avoided had we been stateside, and times when they’ve been lonely and sad because they don’t have any friends that speak the same language, or when we announce we are moving, yet again. We understand why they might act out…and it’s hard.
Missions is a 24/7 lifestyle, but so is parenting. We want to teach our children that they are more important than the myriad of other things clamoring for our attention, and to feel secure and confident. We want to be the best parents we can, but we fail. Only God is the perfect parent and He doesn’t condemn us for our parental failures. Our security, confidence and future all come from Him. We must hand our worries to the Lord and give Him our fears regarding our children. We can find peace knowing that He promises that He will take care of our family. knowing that He promises that He will take care of our family.
Lord, I pray for missionaries around the world, that they would be examples to their children by seeking the Kingdom of God above all else. I pray also that as parents, these missionaries will teach their children to find security and courage in the Lord. I pray for the children of missionaries to intimately know the love of their heavenly Father and find their identity in Him.Ukrain
