Deposits
“Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.” Charles Swindoll
The image of Disgust, Fear, Anger, Joy, and Sadness becoming encapsulated by ice, as a result of Riley slurping a milkshake, will forever be etched in my brain every time I experience a “brain freeze“. The popular Disney movie, “Inside Out”, is such an adequate description of what takes place in our brains as memories are deposited and filed or simply disappear.
As moms, we often feel the need to ‘micro manage’ our children’s memory information by somewhat over compensating their environment. Trying to make sure everything in their little world is the ‘perfect scenario’. This can leave us mentally or emotionally exhausted or cause us to have feelings of guilt or even resentment, trying to balance between the ever-present feeling of not enough or too much. Not that we shouldn’t try to create an atmosphere that brings comfort or one conducive for their optimum growth and development, but our focus shouldn’t be on merely making them happy, but creating an atmosphere in which God can make them Holy.
When we deposit our money in the bank, we are stating by our actions that we trust that establishment to guard and properly take care of our investment. Our children are vessels that the Lord has entrusted to us, in whom we make deposits. Just as we expect a return on our investment in the establishments we entrust our money to, we can expect a return on the deposits we make in our children. Sometimes, that can be a scary thought. I think we all struggle at times, with the foreboding thoughts of messing our children up. In 1 Corinthians 3:6 Paul states that he planted and Apollos watered, but it was God that gave the increase. We will make deposits in our children, some good and some bad, but we should not bear the sole burden of the results from those deposits .God is the one who takes the deposits we make and turns them into profitable investments. We must trust God’s grace to take what we deposit and leave the results of those investments to Him.
The question then, is not if we are making deposits, but what deposits are we making? Luke 6:45 says, “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Galatians 6:7b…” You will always harvest what you plant.” Make wise investments, and trust God to take care of the rest.
And remember, just like in the movie, sometimes it is the sadness that makes the joy more memorable. So, don't beat yourself up when you blow it, just trust that God will use all of the moments, the good and the bad, to conform both you and your child into who He has called you to be. Also, remember you must be patient, with all investments there is an ebb and flow. In moments when it looks as though your investment might have failed, just hold on and keep trusting and believing that God will bring an increase. He always completes what He begins.