God’s Boys

“You don’t raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you raise them like sons, they’ll turn out to be heroes, even if it is just in your eyes.” — Walter M. Schirra, Sr.

Raising boys has to be different from raising girls. I am sure moms of girls have their own praises and battles, but my household is made up of all young men. It is always lively at the Brown house. If it is ever quiet, someone is either up to no good, or sick. I am often not heard in a house full of boys, and I often feel out-numbered.  The funny thing is, I have always wanted to be a boy mom. I wanted to go watch their games, or go fishing and camping. I prayed for one child and I specifically prayed for a boy to pass on our family name. God blessed me with three boys who have grown into three amazing men. Sometimes their goodness goes unnoticed or covered up by all the noise, but I still see it. I watch them and how they interact with other people. Especially older people because as parents we have taught them to listen and learn from the elderly. However, raising boys isn’t always easy. The wrestling matches, the chips bags under beds, the dirty clothes on the floor, and my forks disappearing every week! I do get frustrated and forget they will fly away from the nest one day and my life will be boring when they are no longer there to pick on me. Thankfully God has blessed them with so many men and women of God to be examples when I get bogged down with life and seem too busy for them. I am truly thankful for my village. There are also times as their mom, I get overly anxious or protective, or I even get jealous because I want to be a part of every aspect of their lives. Waylon and I have tried to raise our boys so that they can always come to us no matter the problem. But if you have raised boys, you know they will not always do this. They need to feel independent and free to make their decisions without mom nagging. I do not see myself as the strictest of moms, but I do have standards for them, and they know these standards . While this may be true, even more than my standards, I want them to know I love them and that they are a gift to me from God. So every morning I remind them, “Remember who you are…Remember who you belong to.” This morning as I said those words to my boys, God’s soft voice spoke to me, “Geneva, remember who you are. Remember who you belong to.” You see this saying has become such a ritual for my boys and I that they automatically cut me off now with their correct responses. Eli… Jesus, Samuel… Jesus, James….Jesus…. Today, it was more than that. God was reminding me that I am His. The boys He gave me, are HIS. They are God’s boys. God’s men. I may love them and want to be a part of their lives, but God wants to be a part of their lives even more than me. He wants to be a part of all His children’s lives. God wants us to have a relationship with Him. It says this over and over in the bible. He yearns for us to be close to Him. What is keeping us from being close to God? My Samuel sent me a poem this morning to remind me that I am a remarkable mom, but it also states that in God’s eyes we are always enough, cherished, and deeply loved. We may feel like we are too far from God, but we are never too far because He has never left us. We just have to cry out for Him. Just like we want our children to come to us, God wants us to come to Him, no matter what. So, that soft voice this morning was my God bumps moment. I just love those moments!

Acts 17: 27, “so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him,though He is not far from each one of us.”

Dear God,

I cannot thank you enough for my three sons. James for his determination. Samuel for his devotion. Eli for his will to protect. They are men after Your heart in a dark world. Please help me as a mom to step back and let You lead them in Your will for their lives. Thank you for Your gentle reminders that we are Your children and that You want a personal relationship with us. Thank you for loving us no matter what. Help us to seek You and to lean on Your understanding for our lives. Amen.