Godly Influence

As a mother, it is hard to determine purity of thought. Do I desire for my children to have adventure, travel the world, and influence others for Christ? My mother's heart aches while the Holy Spirit thrills inside my mortal being. I could never expand the universe solo. The people touched by the children of my heart and body are many and I take great joy in God's use of a simple Indiana freckle face. Why would I ever want my children to gather around my skirts and be unused, unhappy, and bored when God has great and wonderful things for them to accomplish? I remember watching a nest of robins as the mother carefully fed and cared for her 3 little hatchlings. They grew quickly and went from bobbing bald babies to punk rockers with funny feathers sticking up all over their heads. As they became more and more curious about the world outside their little lilac bush, they began to teeter on the edge of the nest. I cringed when I saw them rocking on the brink of disaster, but mama robin didn't seem to be too disturbed. Then one day, they were gone. I thought that they had all flown away when I noticed one little fellow hopping around on the ground having a tough time figuring out how to get his awkward little body in motion with his flailing wings. My motherly instinct was to scoop him up and place him back in the nest, but I read that robins allow their young ones to hop around while they still care for them, bring them food, and attempt to scare away predators. Eventually, they learn to fly, with just a little more time and attention. Of course, mama robin starts on the next brood fairly quickly, knowing that if she kept them all at home in the nest, things would become very ugly.