The following is the second of a two part article written by Elizabeth Haslet (Darryl and Martha Rodman’s daughter) sharing some spiritual parenting lessons and insights she has gleaned since she became a mom January 8, 2007!

Parenting 101 Part 2
Lesson Three: The Power in My Mouth

My dad, especially in the later years of his parenting, has become gifted in this area. And as an adult I have heard him many times share the need for us to speak out life into our future. His favorite saying is, “The best is yet to come!” Once in college my dad flew over to see me in a play. I was having a tough day. And he went out and got me a mug with smiley faces on it, and a card, saying I was going to make it. Both mom and dad’s emails and cards were constantly full of, “You can do it! We are so proud of you! You are going to make it! Keep going!” It is thanks to their belief in me that I studied theatre and am now pursuing my destiny in the arts. It was their words of faith that I lean on in times of doubt even to this day. Words are powerful. Jacob and Esau fought over the spoken blessing Isaac was going to give. Words are prophetic. What you say today will happen tomorrow.

When Jakin, our son, was born he was very tiny. 5 lbs 6 ounces. And he dropped down to 5 lbs. And because of the danger of jaundice he had to be in a “box” under the lights. At first he was great at eating, but after being in the box he got used to being “finger fed” and drinking formula. All through those first three weeks that seemed like years, we tried all kinds of things to help him learn to nurse again. Over and over Tim and I would say, “You are a good eater. You are a good nurser. (I know “nurser” is not a word, but we said it!)” Again and again we would say it out loud over Jakin. “You can do it! You can eat! One day you will eat me out of house and home you will be such a good eater!” And in three weeks Jakin became a wonderful “nurser.” He is now wearing 12 month clothes and weighs 20 pounds at 9 months. He is a great eater, willing to try all kinds of things. And so we speak words of life over Jakin: “You are such an obedient child.” “You are a helpful boy.” “You are so good with people.” Even now Tim is giving Jakin his bath and I hear, “I’m so proud of you!” coming from the bathroom door. When I get discouraged or tired with Jakin I begin speaking words of life, “You are such fun to be with!” and suddenly he is fun to be with, and we are having a great time!

Lesson 4: Falling in Love with Jesus
The final goal is my number one target. Earlier I mentioned how I looked no farther than my parents to be my example. Growing up as a Pastor’s Kid (PK) I had many opportunities to see other PK’s in action, acting out against the church because of lack of balance in their parents’ lives, or because of unrealistic pressures put upon them by the congregation to be perfect. Being behind the scenes of a church we all saw lots of hypocrisy in the church, experienced church break ups, and the pain our parents received. Many PK’s rebel against the impossible requirements placed upon them. But while my parents failed to get any of their children to like coffee they were able to navigate us through the hard times of church and show us the blessing of the Body of Christ through one key. Mom’s deep underlying goal (of which she makes no secret) was to get us to love Jesus. She figured that if we love Jesus and get close to His heart that no one on earth, either in the church or outside of it could separate us from His love. And she was right. All three of us are serving our local churches, under great Pastors. It’s not because we didn’t have opportunities to walk away from the church. When my brother was a senior in high school his youth pastor walked away from ministry, Andrew and the rest of the youth group. This man had been a mentor to Andrew. One day he was there, full of promises. The next he was gone. He chose not to stay the course. He left Andrew betrayed, broken and full of questions. Ultimately Andrew leaned back into his love of Jesus, and Jesus pulled him through. All of us have experienced the reality of humans in the church. But God chose the church to be His plan for bringing salvation to the world. If we put our faith in people it will be broken. If we put our faith in Jesus He will never fail us. So my aim is to teach Jakin to love Jesus.

“The greatest commandment is this, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your soul, all your mind and all your strength.” If Jesus said this was the greatest commandment, then we can do no less than instill this truth deep in the hearts of our children.

I’m still new to motherhood. But thankfully I’ve got the best mother’s helper in the whole word: the Holy Spirit. And I can access him any time through prayer. He gives me the words to declare over Jakin and teaches me teach him how to love Jesus. And may the Holy Spirit help you do the same! And one day we will see our children fulfill the destiny that God has called them to fulfill.