Last Updated on March 20, 2018
I am finding that the older my children get, the harder I have to work to let them know I am on their team. I am for them. They have jobs, friends, classes, and a social life. They daily encounter so many voices that want to speak into their lives. The battle is intense. So intense! They are also in a battle with their own sin nature. It can be exhausting, for them and for me.
As a mom, I can’t help but enter into their battle to help guide them in the fight. That’s why I’m here. That’s why God gave us parents.
One of the things I love to do for them, to make sure they know I am cheering them on, is I try to do something to welcome them home. Whether they have been gone for the evening, for a few hours, or for the weekend, I think of something to do to make them feel welcomed and to make them glad they are home. I’ll have a snack waiting, will clean their room, I try to stop what I’m doing to listen to how their time went, or offer to make coffee or tea for them. If they have been gone for a couple of days, I love to buy a small gift and leave it for them to find when they unpack. Sometimes I just meet them with a hug or yell “Woo hoo!” when they walk through the door. Just something to let them know they are welcome home.
God has called me to make my home a haven for those He has entrusted to my care. Right now that is my husband and children. I want it to be the place they feel loved, accepted, and welcomed. I want it to be the place they find forgiveness and patience. I want to walk with them through their battles, and sit on the sidelines cheering them on.
I want them to find Christ in my home. And as I offer my life up to God and give my life away to serve my precious children—His precious children—I am learning how to live the gospel out in as many tangible ways I can find. What a privilege! What a joy!
My prayer is that my home will be a living illustration of the gospel to those who walk through my front door. One day, when I am not as prominent in their lives as I am now, I hope that they will remember how they experienced Christ in my home.
What do you do to welcome your family home?
Gina Smith has served alongside her husband at a small Christian college right outside of Washington DC for almost 20 years, where she serves as the Dean of Women. Gina previously dedicated her days to serving her family, but now that her children are both college students she fully enjoys her calling to mentor to women and young women in person and on-line with her blog Keepin’ It Real! Gina has been a mom for 21 years and she and Brian have been married for 23 years.