What does a Mother want, really?

I know what I want, really, as a mom. I want my children to be able to say with certainty and conviction, and in true faith, these eternally powerful Words:

"I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended to hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father almighty. From there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen."

I want my children to be able to live their everyday lives knowing that the supernatural intersects the natural whether we see it or not. Whether we want it or not. I want them to know that I pray for them to talk to God, to tell Him about their deepest joys and desires; to thank Him for the lives they have been given; to ask for and receive His mercy. I want them to know that there is nothing that God will not forgive them for, and that there is always hope for their lives no matter how sad or lonely or desperate they may become, because God holds them in His hands and will not allow them to be lost.

I want my children to be good listeners, able to discern wisdom and have discretion. I want them to be satisfied with their life choices and not always be thinking that the grass is greener on the other side. I want them to know deep within their hearts that they are living their lives for more than just themselves. That they are here to be servant leaders in their work, and sacrificial lovers in their families. I want the driving force in their lives to be the realization that because they have been given much, much is expected, and that because they have been loved greatly, they must greatly love. I want them to know that God gets and deserves the Glory.

I want my children to know that I am happy that I got to experience what it was like to carry them in my womb and give birth to them. I am grateful that God let me be their mom and take care of them and teach them and enjoy them in their uniqueness for all the years that they were at home. I worry that I wasn't gentle or careful enough and that my mistakes tainted them and left some scars. And my biggest worry is that I did not teach them to know and love God as I should have. I feel as though maybe they did not see my faith as real or sincere as they became older and smarter and more removed from my world. My faith is real, and sincere, and more so everyday as I stumble through life. I need God's mercy more now than I ever have. His Word is life to me. I eat it up and yearn to tell them about it. Picture me, your mom, as I stand at the edge of eternity shouting at the top of my lungs to the dark prince of this earth, "I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth!!!!!..........."

I love you, Jonathan, Timothy and Benjamin!!!
Mom, in Christ, forever.