Hope for the Future

My son is in the "terrible twos". It seems like most of the time I am constantly saying, "Don't do that!", "Stay out of that!", and "Do you need to sit in time-out?". There are some days I really feel rotten because all I have done all day is reprimand and correct him. No matter how harried and upset I get though when my little angel is asleep or cuddled up with me watching TV I am filled with such love for him that I can hardly contain it.

Sometimes, I feel like the "terrible twos" will never end. I also feel like everyone else doesn't go through this--but I have realized differently in the past few months. Speaking with other mothers and friends of mine, I have realized that my situation isn't really all that special. A friend of mine recently said that they go from the "terrible twos" to the "torturous threes" then you get a "small break" and then they turn into a "teenage monster" who is embarrassed for his/her friends to find out that he/she actually has parents.

This morning, as I was trying to find a cartoon for my son to watch to get his attention away from the kitchen cabinets, I happened upon Joyce Meyer. Little did I know, today's message was about there being "hope for your children". She directed her congregation and myself to Jeremiah 31: 16-17 which states," ..."Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded," declares the Lord. "They will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your future," declares the Lord. "Your children will return to their own land."

It's great to know that no matter the struggles that I deal with now or the ones that loom in the future that my "work will be rewarded". I know that if I stay the course, remain consistent, and raise my son to know God that when he might even think about entering the enemy's camp he'll turn around and return to his own land or back to the principles and foundation of truth that he was raised to believe upon. Those times I feel like there really isn't any hope I can turn to this scripture and know that there is hope for the future in Christ Jesus.

Tina Burton