Arrow Mama
Children are from the Lord and they are an overflow of His blessings on us. Children are like arrows. And us mamas? We are warriors. I feel just like a warrior when my morning alarm goes off and I stumble to the coffee pot to begin the day, after I hit snooze a few times. Coffee is essential for the battle sisters. Make no mistake about it. After all, I drink enough of the blessed bean that I could be classified as a vegetarian. After the coffee is brewing it's on to our table to read and pray. I have to have time alone with God before my little arrows awaken. Jesus and java are just the beginning of the battle plan.
As a warrior I have so many things to take care of in a day. So many things that only I can take care of in the day. God truly blessed mamas with responsibility in the home that enables our fingerprint to be on everything from the scent of our clean laundry to the brand of mayonnaise we lovingly make our childrens sandwiches with.
Warrior. Wife to one. Mom to a few.
There are many weapons that the world uses to tear down. The tongue for instance, designed for us to speak and eat has become a weapon of mass destruction even unto death. Vanity. It's not enough to just wear clothes because we are to be covered due to Adam and Eve's sin in the garden exposing humanity, rather clothing to identify who we are in society. As a Christ follower our weapons of warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:4-6. We don't war against flesh, but against powers and principalities of darkness.
And then there are arrows. Arrows of wood have to be shaped, and molded for their purpose. They have to be sanded, stained, and sharpened in order to be ready for battle. My children are the arrows and I am the warrior. I have to shape the wood into a straight line so that it will fly right to the heart of it's target. I shape the arrow by example from Christ. We love and disciple our children toward God's statutes and His word. Always teaching truth and never compromising our Godly character. I have to stick to His blue print so that what I am fashioning will be a replica of the arrow he already used to pierce the heart of darkness. I have to sand the arrows. Sanding it painful and usually renders dust and a huge mess. Sanding is necessary to rid the arrow of blemishes that will prevent straight flight. Sanding also rids the arrow of areas where time and weather had it's way. Not all arrows come without leaving behind splinters. Then there's the sharpening process. The blade must be sharp and maintain a fine point. A dull arrow is like a brush without bristles. These arrows are sharpened by teaching and reminding my children what God asks and deserves of us on a daily basis. As iron sharpens iron so a man sharpens his friend.
After all of the time that is put in to shaping the arrow and making it smooth and sharpening the blade, there is one thing left to do. Target practice. I need to take the arrows out and see if they do indeed fly straight to the target. Are they useful? Heavy enough? Sharp enough? Ready to be tried in battle. As an arrow Mama I take my job seriously. One day my quiver will have no more arrows. I will be older and have less tenacity about me. One day these arrows will fly. They will go to battle. They will either hit the mark or fall to the ground as useless instruments of distraction.
I have to put away self every day in order to shape these arrows. God takes the time to shape me. He sands off the rough spots. He sharpens me in prayer and through the reading of His word. He takes away my sin and any errors I have made along the way. And when trials come, I know how to fly. I know what my mark is and my goal is to hit it. As I raise these arrows my prayer is that I would not deviate from the Master's Plan so that one day when I pull back on the bow and release these arrows, they fly hard, straight, and pierce the dark in this world for God's glory.
