"The way I want my children to be like me is to be drawn to God. I love God so much, I love Jesus and I love to pray. When you love something, when you've found some place great to eat, you tell others, 'You've got to eat here. The food is great.' Because you want to share the source of your joy with others so they can feel the same joy. So, I want my children to enjoy that goodness of God. I love God and I know the power of prayer. I know the impact of having a relationship with Jesus Christ on my life. So, I pray this prayer a lot, 'God, turn my children's hearts towards you.' I pray the scriptures for my children. You can't go wrong when you pray appropriate scriptures for you children.
"I've committed my life to Christ. I'm a single mom. I don't date and I've said, 'Lord, I'm your vessel, just use me.' So, I want my kids to have that attitude of 'We don't care what the World thinks. It matters what God thinks.' People are asking, 'Why don't you date? Get a boyfriend.' But, I'm so happy. I have such peace and I'm so content even in the difficult situations in my life. I want that for my kids, and others that I care about, but especially for my kids. But you can only get that from the peace of knowing Christ.
"A character trait of mine that I don't want my children to replicate in their lives is having a fear of rejection or of what others think of them. Scripture says that God's perfect love casts out fear. So, I want my kids to have the character trait that trusts God in every situation. Including when others say negative things about us of when the World looks down on us. My children have been created in the image of God, so God wants them to act like it and not be afraid of what the World thinks. I want them to believe that God's love covers them and that they have the mindset that they have nothing to fear, including what others think or say. Because it won't change who they are. I want them to be confident in who they are. It doesn't matter what's said or an event that happens or a misdeed that's done to them. Nothing changes the truth that they are loved by God. And they can be confident in that."
~ Mari
P.S. Mari was praying for me when I took this picture