A Plan for my Juan Pablo

When my Juan Pablo was 4 (I think so), he had a vision. We were at home and his mom was taking him to the bathroom holding his hand when we noted that his eyes were fixed to a specific spot above the mirror. I thought he saw a spider or something, but since I couldn't see anything, I asked him: "what are you looking at?" He pointed with his little finger and answered: "I see the Father sitting with Jesus." His mom and I looked to each other amazed. We were astonished not only because for what we just heard, but also for his way to refer to God and also for knowing that Jesus is seated to His side.

We asked him: "and, what does the Father tell you?" Juan Pablo said: "He tells me that His hand is upon my dad and mom."

We were just happy, but we didn't know what to conclude, so we received the word spoken in the vision and followed Jesus's mother example Mary: we treasure up all this in our hearts (Luke 2:19).

A while later, Juan Pablo started suffering of nightmares. Frequently Juan Pablo cried in the middle of the night for having a bad dream. Sometimes for many nights in a row! We prayed so he may be freed from those nightmares declaring over him the Word that says that our dreams will be sweet (Proverb 3:24). Nowadays, very rarely he has nightmares, but we are still praying until it's finished completely.

Two days ago my Juan Pablo came to me to tell me that he had a dream. "What did you dream of?", I asked him. He told me that he was crossing a street and, all of a sudden, a car hit him but that he was ok.

"Oh, that was so good!", I just told him, and then he left. Then I sensed that Jesus told me the meaning of that dream, so I rapidly called him back and told him that Jesus just told me the meaning of his dream. "It doesn't matter the things that can happened to you, I am with you, and that's why you are going to be Ok." Juan Pablo smiled and left.

I stayed thinking and finally tied up loose ends. "A vision, nightmare attacks, a dream", I thought. "My Juan Pablo definitely has a spiritual gift and the devil wants to destroyed him".

I thanked my heavenly Father for reminding me that He has a plan for my Juan Pablo and asked Him for wisdom to know how to rightly prepare him for that plan. We don't know exactly what he will be in the future but we do know that the gifts that Jesus gave him equip him for a ministerial area.

Don't do your own plans for your kids's lives. Remember that they were in their real heavenly Father's heart before the foundation of the earth, and He chose you so you may guide them and prepare them to live the life He has prepared for them. And that life is MUUUUCH better than what we can ever plan for them! Each and every gifts and talents they have will be the tools to live that life to the fullest. Don't quit praying asking for wisdom and direction to prepare them to live that plan.

I hope this may help you!

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For more teachings and tips for parents, take a look to the following link: Enseñanzas para Padres (Teaching for Parents). The teachings are in English and Spanish.

Some of the titles you'll find are:

• Do not Turn Off your Kids Imagination: When my kids play, they leave a mess, and I learnt that more important than just telling them to put everything back in its place is to get interested in what was in their imagination.
• A Way to Curse your Children: Without realizing I was bounding my kids with my words. Do not make the same mistake.
• The Power that Jesus gave to my Son: A testimony on how my Juan Esteban was set free from nightmares.
• The Honor to Be a Parent: Learn that accepting the honor of being a parent brings more personal fulfillment that achieving all your goal and dreams.

Do not Turn Off your Kid's Imagination

Many times, as a father, I've focused more on "the orden and neatness" of my kids than others more important things, such as, their imagination. Order has to be at the service of imagination and not in the other way around, because imagination gives you the goal, and order helps you to get there. When I realize this, I felt so bad as a father, because it was like I gave them a car, but they don't have a place to go, and that, in time, make the order becomes a goal in itself.

The picture illustrates perfectly this message. I recognize that a "go-order-your-room!" still comes out of my mouth before I ask them what there was in their imagination. Thanks be to my lovely Father for His grace because I really need it!, because He reminds me not only to ask them first for what they were imagining, but also makes me to be interested in what they are telling me: in the galactic war that took place in their room, in the martial tournament with new characters, in that aventure with a superhero, etc., so that they may grow with the confidence of what they imagine isn't nonsense.

AND AT THE END, after making sure that what was in their mind was important, I help them to form one of the tools that will help them in the future to materialize their imagination: order.

Our kids have a great imagination. Let us not turn it off! That imagination will turn into dreams and goals, which will make their lives to make sense and they'll feel fulfilled as persons. Our job as parents, is to give them the tools that will help them to reach those dreams that our heavenly Father will put in their hearts!

"Imagination is the preview of life's coming attractions" 

"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination" 

"Imagination is more important that knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world" 

Albert Einstein

Hope it helps! 

"Are you crying just for that?!" - An advice for parents

How many of us, parents, have ever told our kids: "You cry just for that!"? Big mistake! Do you know what we're actually telling them? We're telling them: "The reason you're crying for is nonsense", and worse: "what is important to you isn't to me".

If you've been telling that to your kids, this is what you have to do:
- Tell them you are sorry for doing that. Tell them: "Son/daughter, forgive me because so many times I looked down on what is important to you".
- Promise them that you'll try to change. Tell them: "I promise you to consider as much important the things you tell me as they are to you".
- Ask for help to your heavenly Father to change that as soon as possible.

As parents of little children, we are in danger that if we don't change, they will grow with the idea that their problems aren't important, that they shouldn't bother us with their nonsense, that they aren't as much important as us, and consequently, they'll unconsciously seek to feel important in other places and ways, and many times it'll be with people that will demand from them something in return.

How does our good and loving heavenly Father treat us? Have you ever read in His Word something that says or suggest that what is important to us isn't important for Him? Have you ever felt looked down by Him? Have you ever felt when you cried out to Him for help that He says to you: "Are you crying just for that! Seriously?"?

On the contrary, He cries when we cry, He gets happy when we get happy, He is familiar with our pain, and in His Word says that He has even numbered the hair of our head (Matthew 10:30), and if He pays attention to that, something that isn't important, how much more attention will He pay to something that it is actually important to us, to what makes us cry, to what keep us awake at night! So, when we go to Him burdened by something, He will NEVER tell us: ""Are you crying for that! Seriously?", but He'll hug us, comfort us and guide us by the hand to the answer that He'd already prepared.

If there is somebody authorized to despised any of our issues, that'd be God, because for Him there is nothing impossible. But our Father, far from doing that, understands us perfectly.

So then, if you've been despising your children's problems, run to your heavenly Father, because He won't condemn you for doing that, but hug you, comfort you and guide you by the hand to the solution that He'd already prepared.

Hope it helps!