Four things in any land must dwell, If it endures and prospers well.

One is manhood true and good; One is noble womanhood; One is child life, clean and bright. And one an altar kept alight.

There is much truth in this favorite quote of mine concerning family life. For a healthy family to endure and prosper well; in my humble opinion, you have to be living in God’s plan. (Proverbs 3: 5-6) You must invest wisely all that God has entrusted to you. A savings account does not accumulate and grow without frequent deposits, so it stands true within the family. (Ephesians 5:14-6:4) God made your husband and yourself in His image. We were created to bear the image of God. (Genesis 1:26-28)

Before children, there was simply your husband (One is manhood true and good) and you (One is noble womanhood). You as woman, your husband as man, created with the greatest of all possible dignities as a reflection of God’s own heart. Only some instances, men are not noble nor good and neither are the women. Some couples have so many wounds between them that they have lost sight of the men and women God created them to be. Then along come your children, and their arrival often does not wait for man and woman to live nobly bearing God‘s image. Your children on loan from Heaven, are also to bear the image of God (One is child life, clean and bright) and find their role into the pattern of your family, whether it be true, noble, good or quite contrary.

Some families and even some within the church, do not have an altar kept alight. The only way that I know how to make this happen is by allowing God to reign over every area in your life. (Matthew 6:33) You have to have your priorities lined up with His perfect will for your life. God is to be your first Love. Love the Lord your God with all Your heart, soul, mind and strength. (Mark 12:30) Ideally, it is God’s plan for both parents to commit to loving God before all else. Revival of heart always begins with you. You do not possess the power to force another to love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. God will faithfully use you to be a vessel of influence and guidance within your family. (1 Corinthians 7: 13-16) Only in Him being your center, can all else be truly blessed.

Your children are entrusted to you by God Himself. They are not your possessions or property for they solely belong to Him. (Matthew 19:14) You cannot possibly love them more than their Heavenly Father does. Your children are a treasure to invest in for the glory of God. And what a glorious day it will be to see your children grow to adults and for you to witness in their own families an altar kept alight! There is no greater joy than to imagine our Heavenly Father someday saying to us as women; wives, mothers, and grandmothers, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Those are the words I long to hear my Lord speak to me when this earthly mission is over. Glory!