Let me begin by saying “happy Mother’s Day” to all you incredible moms reading this article today, to all mothers who sacrifice daily to help meet the needs of their children — those who work at home and those who work outside of their homes, the single moms and the married ones, all moms.
My wife and I have two beautiful girls, McKaylin and Lily. When our first daughter, McKaylin, was born, I remember looking down at this tiny, premature baby, thinking that I had never seen anything or anyone more perfect, delicate or innocent. Then, our Lily was born, and I had those same reactions.  
Our children come to us directly from God. When they are born and take their first breath outside of the womb, we receive a glimpse of this beautiful, blank, perfectly innocent canvas and our work begins. We get to make a conscious decision regarding what we want to teach our children.
But as my children have grown, what I realize is that they learn what is caught, not simply what is taught. Our behaviors, our habits, the atmosphere we bring when we are with our children, what we say and, yes, what we do — they all affect our children.
Proverbs 18:21 says “The power of life and death are in the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” We, as parents, can choose to speak life or speak death over our own children. There is no other tool in our arsenal that is more powerful.  
When my wife and I look at our girls and tell them they can “do anything through Christ, who gives them strength,” they believe it.  When we tell them they are “fearfully and wonderfully made and God has a plan for their lives,” they believe it. When they need an extra dose of encouragement, and we tell them “God is with you, like a mighty warrior” — trust me, they believe it.
Speaking life over our children has the ability to change the trajectory of their future. God’s word being spoken into and over our children on a daily basis is an incredible force to be reckoned with.
Isaiah 55:11 says, “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”

Darsey is pastor at Restoration Church and a member of the United Ministerial Alliance of Liberty County.