Felichi Buizon is wife to Dr. Jojo Buizon and they are blessed with four children (Talitha, Josh, Kathlyn and Ryan). She is a television host for CBN Asia’s 700 Club, a homeschooling mom, gospel songwriter, and seminar speaker on parenting and early childcare. She is involved in the ministry of teaching at Christ’s Commission Fellowship. Here is Felichi’s encouragement for Moms:

“Sometimes, we have dreams and desires for our children whose fulfillment we don’t see yet.  Mothers end up on the waiting end.  Our tendency is to try to either manipulate the situation, trust in our own strength, and lean on our own understanding [instead of God’s] to get what we want, but then it turns out sour because we are trying to control our children. The Lord has rebuked me regarding this. I need to learn to trust Him. And He used the word “WAIT” to teach me. How do I wait?

W-Worship. I need to praise Him at all times whether it is a time of gladness or a time of uncertainty. The psalmist said in Psalm 113, “From the rising of the sun until its going down, praise Him.”  Therefore, worship is not only for Sundays. The Lord delights in moment-by-moment praise, even private praise.

When I have concerns about my children, I need to remember who is really in control and worship reminds me of that. God is Sovereign, whatever the circumstance, and He is able to work for the good of our children. I read that turning our worries into worship allows God to turn our battles into blessing.

A-Appreciate our children. Appreciate what is, rather than pine over what is not there. I find appreciation to be a very powerful tool in investing in the lives of our children because affirmation nourishes and educates. For instance, if my teenager keeps a neat bed but not a neat cabinet, then I thank her for the neat bed. I text her. “Your bed makes me smile.”  One day, her cabinet will make me smile, too.

I– Intercede. Instead of taking control, I need to entrust them to God. Cast more cares, struggle less. I pray— for their specific needs, for what the Holy Spirit leads me to pray for. Sometimes nauuna yung mga gusto ko sa dasal ko [what I want precedes what I should pray for].  Actually, God may want me to pray for them differently. For example, I am praying for a child who is disrespectful, so I complain to God then He reveals to me that I need to be respectful, too. It is I who am in need of prayer! Sometimes when you intentionally seek to hear, the Holy Spirit will impress upon you what your child needs. In this case, my child needed an example to follow. We need to be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we pray. (Romans 8:26-27).

T– Thank God. As the song goes, “find the good in things when good is not around.” I feel that when we are waiting, sometimes the enemy will want us to focus on the loooong wait so we suddenly become discouraged, weary, even critical, but that’s not what God wants us to dwell on. He instructs us to give thanks in all circumstances. You try to look for the nuggets of hope, little treasures along the way. For instance, I thank Him for the strengths of the children, for their laughter, for protection, for positive influences, etc. I have an Unending Thank You Lord journal where I record every blessing. It really makes a difference when I start giving thanks. It unlocks more insight, more options, more blessing. There is power in thanksgiving.

The Lord enables us to please Him as we W-A-I-T. When you worship, appreciate, intercede and stay thankful, you don’t turn out bitter even if you have been waiting long. You allow the Lord to work on your heart. He’s the Potter, we are the clay. God’s work in us is not interrupted even when our prayers are not yet answered.  When you are no longer fixated on the unfulfilled concerns for your kids and instead you are fixing your eyes on Jesus, the Lord starts working on you and in them… answering your prayers in His way and in His time.