So, yeah. A lot of my post (I dare say most...) are and will be about my children. It's the life I lead. However, even if you don't have kids, you are a Child of God and I hope you can find some encouragement here too.
Recently, I read a blog by Kat at Inspired to Action (Please check her out. Amazing and "Inspiring!") and her question was basically "What do you want your children to be?" I thought about that for a minute before reading further.
Kind
Compassionate
Love God
Love others
Patient
Motivated
Those were just a few things.
Reading on, she simply said, "Then Be That!" Wow. Truer words have never been written or read. It's not that I've never heard that or contemplated it. I think I was just in the right "place" to hear it and internalize it this time. And as I looked back on the last several months, I began to feel dread. The things that I have been are nothing like what I either want to be or want to pass on to my babies. I can blame first trimester pregnancy fatigue and hormone fluctuation, stress, holiday business and travel or a whole slew of other things. But it basically comes down to my commitment to raising my children and LIVING OUT those things I hope they will become. I'm not saying that there aren't days it's perfectly ok to have a pajama day and not "get it all done." But I am saying if the theme in my home is that, then what habits do I expect that my children will develop over time?
Here's what I hope they will develop.
Galatians 5:22-26
22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."
No small task, that's for sure. But I'm finding that immersing myself in the Word daily and first thing, has made an enormous impact on how our days play out. A personal goal of mine this year (in addition to what I wrote about yesterday in Not Looking Back) is to maintain this practice in spite of pregnancy, hormones, a newborn expected later this year and any other distractions that come along. (Discipline has never been my strong suit.) Now, don't get me wrong, perfection will not be achieved, but it is my greatest desire to grow and to be a Child of God that lives out His character. Let me just tell you how funny God is and how faithful he is in helping me achieve this goal already.
My intention is to get up at 6am and get my study done before I have to get Jackson up for school around 6:50. Today I woke up around 4:50. Really? "Now, God, you know I want to get up at 6 and do my study! Can't you let me at least sleep till closer to that?!" I dozed back off waking again at 5:40. Fine, but I am going to take advantage of the last 20 minutes I have. (Thinking in the back of my mind that I didn't care if I slept past 6 today. Que the oppositional defiant child in me.) Funny how God hears the thoughts in the back of my mind just as loudly as He hears the ones in the front. As I dozed, I began to dream. No idea what it was about, but in the dream, a phone rang really loudly startling me to the point that I jerked awake. Looked at the clock. 5:59am. Seriously. I had to laugh. God answered my hearts' desire and woke me up to get my study done-in spite of my planned defiance to sleep in. He knows I want (and more importantly NEED) that time with Him. And am I ever thankful. After an amazing study of James-through Beth Moore's James Mercy Triumphs study, I am ready to face the day with a smile and a renewed passion to ask for wisdom and believe that He will supply it!
So, what do you want your kids to be today? Who do you want them or others to believe that our God is? THEN BE THAT!
Striving to Be That- In the Meantime
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