by Laura J. Sauer

A few years ago, I had a dream. Well, maybe you could it a nightmare. When I awoke, I was so deeply shaken and I wasn't even sure why. As the Lord began his work in my husband’s and my lives, I began to understand the reason for my shakiness. I was awakened to a new threat. That threat was toward our children.

An old swampy pond lay before me. The pond was overgrown with many weeds. The pond was in two sections. One was shallow and clear. There were some muddy spots on the bank, but it looked inviting enough for a quick wade on a hot sweltering day. The other section of the pond was murky, with no visibility. The weeds were thick and rotting in the water, leaving a fowl smell as an unseen warning of danger. All in all, not very inviting.

I allowed my gaze to linger on the pond. As I looked, I saw children playing in the clear section of the water. The mothers of the children were on the shore watching and talking with each other while the children played in the water. Much the way most of us mothers do when we get together. When I looked closer, I noticed the children were playing with something. As I focused on the objects in the water with the little ones I realized what that something was. They were playing with baby alligators. The small alligators seemed quite harmless, and very playful with the children. The children were laughing and having a great time.

What the children did not see was the other end of the pond. In that far section of the pond, there were larger alligators, the mothers of the baby alligators. When I became aware of the danger, in my dream, I called out to the mothers and began to shout, "Get your children out of the pond!, the mother alligators are coming over to where the children are."

The larger alligators kept coming closer and closer to the children and the baby alligators. I remember the mothers looking at me and saying, "Don't worry, we can get the children out in plenty of time before the mother gators come. The children are having such a good time with the small little gators. We'll get the children out before it's too late."

My dream ended there. Although I did not witness the outcome of the dream I feel as if I know the consequence of the dream anyway. This I know just by sitting on the church pews and watching the lives of unsuspecting Christians.

I was to realize the depth of this dream later on in life. As I mentioned earlier in the beginning of this article. The swampy pond symbolizes everyday life. Sometimes clear and inviting, sometimes muddy and murky. The alligators represent the things in life. The small, baby alligators are a type of innocent, harmless (or so we like to think) sins or situations. While the mother alligators are a type of sin that will swallow a person up. In the dream, the mothers of the children, allowed their children to play and dabble in small, seemingly innocent things, while all of the time , the bigger gators (bigger sins and situations) crept closer and closer. Finally, engulfing and dragging the children under. The entire time, the mothers watched, thinking they would have "plenty of time to save their children from disaster."

Mothers, again I say, Train up your children in the ways of Godliness, Truth, and Holiness. Small things, such as worldly amusements, worldly organized children’s clubs, school sports teams and organizations, have NO place in our children’s lives. Dance and ballet may be a good exercise, but it should not be your child’s exercise. Moms, go outside and play with your children. Know what they are involved in. These small things develop into bigger things. Your child will be caught up in them and will not know where to draw the line. Mothers, we have a job to do! The job may be a tough one, but the end results are well worth it.

Proverbs 31:10-31, so accurately portrays the mother we should be. If we train our children the ways of God, the reward is greater than any gold medal of honor ever given. To be rewarded with the sight of seeing your child on judgment day, standing before the King of Kings and him saying to your child, the child you brought into the world, "Well done, thy good and faithful servant." This is the greatest reward a mother could ever receive!

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Sister Laura J. Sauer is the wife of Brother Ty Sauer, a young minister in the First Apostolic Church. They are the parents of two daughters, Katelyn and Kelsea. Together they have been instrumental in the success of both the local church and this paper. Through their faithfulness and godly living many others are seeing their need to, "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." Psalm 34:8]