Since having kids 12+ years ago, I have learned (sometimes very stubbornly) that the Lord often uses our mundane, everyday moments with our children to speak to us. We think that when we become parents it is our turn to be the teacher. This is true in some respect. We are specifically chosen to nurture and teach the children that we have been given. But in large part, we are to posture ourselves to hear the voice of the Lord and not the other way around. In I Kings 19:11-13, we read about a prophet named Elijah. He has seen miracles of God over and over in loud and magnificent ways. In this passage he is waiting to hear the voice of God, and he thinks it will be heard in a strong wind, earthquake, or fire. God can most definitely speak in this manner, but this time His voice was heard in “a sound of a low whisper” (ESV). I think that this happens to us as well. We think that we need to hear the voice of God when it comes to raising our kids in some flash of lightning or him literally entering our living room and we audibly hear his voice.
God often speaks to us in the ordinary more than the miraculous.
This is beautiful because our daily lives are made up of more mundane moments than the miraculous as well. He is always speaking. We just have to be faithful to listen.
A few years ago, I remember sweeping the kitchen floor. One of my children came through and pointed out some places I had missed and commented about how dirty the floor was. Instantly, I felt the heat come through my body. Anger was my first response. How could this tiny little human point out the “one spot I missed” and totally not mention all the good I had worked so hard to accomplish. Did they even know how tired I was? That day, however, my anger stayed inside my head as I felt the tap of the Holy Spirit. He was nudging my heart and I could tell that a lesson was coming…that “this” was really about “that.” He stopped me in my tracks and began speaking.
It was not a mountain top experience…I was sweeping my kitchen floor.
My heart immediately became tender as the Lord started speaking to me. He began teaching me in that very moment that this wasn’t just about sweeping the kitchen floor. It was how I responded to my child. If I had let flesh loose in that room just a few moments earlier, I would have yelled at my child for simply telling me something. I could have set the stage that mommy cannot handle a conversation from an innocent child, and it would discourage them from coming to me with bigger issues. In that short moment, I was rebuked and given grace at the same time. God spoke to me through dirt on the floor that my heart was not clean.
Just like Elijah, I could have ignored this small tap, but I am so thankful for that moment. To this day, I think of this every time I sweep the floor. He reminds me that only God can make me clean, that I miss spots ALL the time, and that without his help, I am surely not enough. Our children need us, but they need the version of us that is listening to the voice of the Lord. The one that instructs our hearts before we allow our human nature to shine through. There are times that we need to discipline our children for sure, but if we slow down and allow God to speak first, we are allowing His wisdom to shine through.
Maybe you are asking how this is possible in your home? I can hear you now…”this is nice, but you do not know my child?” Or maybe it sounds more like this, “I am the adult. They better not ask questions like that.” I hear you. I really do.
I want to challenge you to:
- Stop.
- Slow down.
- Really listen to what your child is saying.
You will almost always be able to tell if they are simply asking a question or something else. By the way, asking questions is how kids learn. Take a second and look your child in the eye and engage in giving them your full attention. The amount of time that we are distracted as parents is another blog post on its own. It is worth it. When we listen to the small things, they will also bring us the big things….and to them, they are ALL BIG things. (Ok, back to the point. That was a small tangent.)
The beauty is that these three points also relate to how we can hear the voice of God.
- Stop.
- Slow down.
- Really listen to what the Lord is saying.
One day, he might speak to you in the mighty wind, but make sure you are prepared when you are giving a band aid or sweeping the kitchen floor.
I Kings 19:11-13
11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.[a] 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Written by: Taran Nelson. Taran is the Executive Director of Fathom Family Foundation and serves in ministry with her husband, Rev. Kyle, and their three children in Jacksonville, FL.
