In Isaiah 43:4, God tells His own children that we are precious to Him.
“Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life”…The New American Standard Bible
Having a vulnerable child in our lives now to nurture and raise, we must pass on this sweet sentiment. These children have suffered the loss of love in some way. That is why they are living with grandparents when they should be with their parents. Whether the parents willingly abandoned the child or died, that loss is still there. We, as the new caregiver, must saturate them with love, respect and instill a sense of self worth.
Many children raised by grandparents or through other kinship care, suffer from a lack of security and self worth. They often think something is wrong with them for their parent(s) to leave them. Did they do something bad that caused the parents to not love them? These thoughts are too much for an adult, yet rattle in a child’s tender mind.
An environment of constant, unending love is vital to the growth of any child, even more so to one who has been through the mill of dysfunction. Recycled Moms must go the extra mile in providing tenderness, patience and let the child know we are happy to share our lives with them. Comments flow like water. Every one takes root in the heart of our grandchildren. Will they grow into strong, flexible branches that bend in a storm and resume their position of support? Or will they become rigid and hard, breaking off in difficult moments to injure and sicken the trunk?
As Recycled Moms, we have the ability to soothe the pain or to increase it. Let us apply the healing balm of love to every moment of our children’s lives. They indeed are precious in our sight and we love them as Christ first loved us. Let it show in every breath we take and every hug we receive from little arms that reward the sacrifice.
Recycled Moms-Raising Grandchildren 