Well, instead of thinking over and over how I wanted to start this series, I am just diving in with a topic that has been on my heart this morning.
Is your home a "safe" place?
I am sure you have heard of the countless recalls that have been happening lately. Cribs, strollers, high chairs, car seats, Tylenol, teething tablets, etc etc. The list goes on and on. Whether voluntary or mandatory, it seems as though everything we have trusted is being recalled. And as mothers, our children's safety and well being comes first doesn't it? Do the recalls make you upset? They do for me. I worry about my babies all day. I love them and want what is best. When I hear about a company that has let us down again, I worry more. As if I need more of that. But is their well being really first. Am I, their mother, doing everything I can to ensure that?
For me, the answer is no. Can I recall myself? Most days, that's exactly what I need.
Although we can not control third parties, and the sad fact is that there will probably always be recalls, we have the ability to affect them emotionally and spiritually every day. Aren't these things just as important?
As mothers, our to-do lists are extensive. The house is never clean, the laundry is never finished, there are errands to run, and noses to wipe. Diapers, thirteen clothing changes for the messy toddler, and the cat always needs a playmate. And in the hurry and rush of it all, we are missing the most important thing. Our children.
How many times a day does a plea for a book to be read get the standard "not now sweetie" ? How many times does "just another hug and kiss" get forgotten? How often do we forgo some floor play time for some floor cleaning? Why when in a rush, the first thing cancelled in our daily home school curriculum is our devotional? Why is the academic material superior to God's word?
Why are we measuring ourselves by all the wrong standards?
The truth is that my children's spiritual and emotional growth has not received my best effort. And for this I take full blame.
I yell too much and am too quick to snap at a cup of spilled milk or a lost shoe. I chalk it up to stress, but the stress is self inflicted to fulfill some absurd standard. Well I am finished with that.
Our homes should be a safe place. Nurturing, nourishing, loving and filled with an abundance of patience and peace. Children should feel comfortable growing emotionally and encouraged to grow spiritually. We are the sole providers for these needs and too often we fail them.
As a family, we home school, cloth diaper, co-sleep, attend church every Sunday, talk about God, eat healthy meals, and wear clean clothes. But the daily loving and learning? The tiny moments that really matter? I missed that completely.
So my challenge to you and myself, is to create a home that is a safe place. A place where the Lord leads. A quiet retreat that fosters growth of all kinds, both of little hearts and little minds. And you know what? It starts with us.
Today, I will not yell or raise my voice once. I will not say no to another book or another hug. I will use my soft and patience voice when it is hardest too. I will teach about Jesus and not only with words, but with actions. I will talk to my children and really play with them. I will get outside for some fresh air and run with them. I will laugh with them.
I will turn off my computer and live.
When it is all said and done, and our children are grown, these are things I want to give to them. I want to be there, really there. I want to be an arrow for Jesus and a mom who gave it her all.
So tell me, is your home a "safe" place? Or are you running to fast that you miss what is right in front of you?
Is your home a "safe" place?
I am sure you have heard of the countless recalls that have been happening lately. Cribs, strollers, high chairs, car seats, Tylenol, teething tablets, etc etc. The list goes on and on. Whether voluntary or mandatory, it seems as though everything we have trusted is being recalled. And as mothers, our children's safety and well being comes first doesn't it? Do the recalls make you upset? They do for me. I worry about my babies all day. I love them and want what is best. When I hear about a company that has let us down again, I worry more. As if I need more of that. But is their well being really first. Am I, their mother, doing everything I can to ensure that?
For me, the answer is no. Can I recall myself? Most days, that's exactly what I need.
Although we can not control third parties, and the sad fact is that there will probably always be recalls, we have the ability to affect them emotionally and spiritually every day. Aren't these things just as important?
As mothers, our to-do lists are extensive. The house is never clean, the laundry is never finished, there are errands to run, and noses to wipe. Diapers, thirteen clothing changes for the messy toddler, and the cat always needs a playmate. And in the hurry and rush of it all, we are missing the most important thing. Our children.
How many times a day does a plea for a book to be read get the standard "not now sweetie" ? How many times does "just another hug and kiss" get forgotten? How often do we forgo some floor play time for some floor cleaning? Why when in a rush, the first thing cancelled in our daily home school curriculum is our devotional? Why is the academic material superior to God's word?
Why are we measuring ourselves by all the wrong standards?
The truth is that my children's spiritual and emotional growth has not received my best effort. And for this I take full blame.
I yell too much and am too quick to snap at a cup of spilled milk or a lost shoe. I chalk it up to stress, but the stress is self inflicted to fulfill some absurd standard. Well I am finished with that.
Our homes should be a safe place. Nurturing, nourishing, loving and filled with an abundance of patience and peace. Children should feel comfortable growing emotionally and encouraged to grow spiritually. We are the sole providers for these needs and too often we fail them.
As a family, we home school, cloth diaper, co-sleep, attend church every Sunday, talk about God, eat healthy meals, and wear clean clothes. But the daily loving and learning? The tiny moments that really matter? I missed that completely.
So my challenge to you and myself, is to create a home that is a safe place. A place where the Lord leads. A quiet retreat that fosters growth of all kinds, both of little hearts and little minds. And you know what? It starts with us.
Today, I will not yell or raise my voice once. I will not say no to another book or another hug. I will use my soft and patience voice when it is hardest too. I will teach about Jesus and not only with words, but with actions. I will talk to my children and really play with them. I will get outside for some fresh air and run with them. I will laugh with them.
I will turn off my computer and live.
When it is all said and done, and our children are grown, these are things I want to give to them. I want to be there, really there. I want to be an arrow for Jesus and a mom who gave it her all.
So tell me, is your home a "safe" place? Or are you running to fast that you miss what is right in front of you?
