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Moms, when you're knee deep in dirty diapers, spilled oatmeal and bedtime stories, I'm sure it is easy to be so overwhelmed by motherhood that there is no time left to think about what you want for your children or from your children when they are grown. But from the time the nurse hands you that messy bundle of joy in the hospital, one thing is for certain–there will be a time when your children will leave home. Our helpless, fragile children grow up to become students, husbands, wives, doctors, mechanics, police officers and military personnel. The day will come when parents grow to depend upon those who once depended on us. That is the cycle of life.

 Did you know that the first time the word "Mother" is mentioned in the bible it referred to the time when a child leaves home? Genesis 2:24 says, "For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." (NASB) Of course the subject of this text is the celebration of marriage, not the grief of the empty nest, nevertheless, motherhood is not mentioned until this verse.

 Our children are never really ours.  Ultimately, they belong to God.  He places them under our care for a brief period of time so we can care for their needs and shape their character according to His will.  To put it another way, all our children will leave home one day, our job is to see that they’re grown up before they do. 
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