Lessons from the Lord

I know it's been a really long time since I've blogged, but if you recall my last post, I was telling you how I've gotten fed up with the clutter in our home, and I have been busy as a bee lately as I work on decluttering the house. It's been a chore, to say the least! I've had a few blog ideas this last month but just haven't had the opportunity to sit down and write. But this week, the Lord really hit me with something and I felt so convicted. And as this issue applies to me as a mother, I knew that it was a lesson I had to pass on to all my friends who are also mothers. So before you read on, I would like you to stop and ask the Holy Spirit to search your own heart and see if this is an area you need to work on as well. Okay! Here goes!


I have begun making a short to-do list for myself each morning during my quiet time. Usually, there are only four or five items I'd like to do for the day and every available moment, I'm rushing to accomplish something from my list. So one day this week, the kids were playing quietly in the living room and I thought I'd try and do a few dishes from lunch. As I'm frantically washing as quickly as I can, splasing water all over the place (I can't wash dishes without looking like I've been dunked in a pool lol!), Isaac comes in. Immediately, I think, "I've only washed a few dishes! I hope he doesn't really need anything because I'd like to get some more done." Well, his request is that I come play with him. As I pause, debating on whether I want to wash more dishes or go play in the floor with my sons and little friends, The Lord hit me over the head with something. (He tends to like doing that, cause He does it all the time!) I literally, physically, felt myself slump as the Holy Spirit taught me a valuable lesson. I have had the attitude that these requests are interruptions to my day. My day is on that to-do list and I'm desparate for everything to be marked off before the end of my work day. But I have been oh-so-wrong! Isaac is not an interruption to my day - he IS my day! He, and Jeremy and Noah, along with any other friends I may be enjoying that day, THEY are why I'm doing this list. They are the most important reason why I have this home to care for and dishes to wash. Those times I get to run off and work on my list, those are the exceptions and interruptions to my day. My day is my children and my family.


As I dried my hands to go play with my kids, the Lord brought another thought to my mind. As parents, we would willingly give our lives for our children. But are we willing to give our days, our hours, our minutes to them? This is how we show them our love.


My prayer is that I would stay humble before my children. That I would never belittle them just because I can, or that I never admit my mistakes to them just because I'm the parent and I shouldn't have to do that. They need to see that my love for them is bigger than anything else. BECAUSE, in showing love to them, I am showing them the Father. My greatest goal for my boys is that I can one day introduce them to their Savior, and everything that I do in my day should be working toward that goal. Even if it means putting aside that to-do list, getting in the floor and building a tower just to knock it over. THIS is my day, this is my life.