Mom. It's the title I'm most proud of. The biggest blessing I've ever experienced.
My daily prayer is that I don't screw this up.
Well, not exactly, but I most certainly want to get this right! Life is fleeting. Time with these precious beings living under our roof will be gone before we want it to be. God has given us these little blessings, and therefore we have a responsibility to train them up according to His will.
I do NOT recommend taking this motherhood thing lightly. God's Word has a lot to say about training up our kids and not leading them astray. Some days, the whole thing can feel pretty overwhelming!
Today, I'm just enjoying my kids. Preparing to spend time in the pool as the heat index reaches 100+ this afternoon. Thinking about some fun mom moments from the past week. Wanting to just savor some of the recent blessings just a little bit longer.
Here's one of my favorites: last Friday I was at the Speak Up! Conference and left the house around 8:15AM and did not return until after 10:30PM. On my way home I was thinking that even though the kids would be in bed, I was excited to go down to their rooms and just check on them before I went to bed myself. Well, I was in the house no more than one minute before all three of them came bounding up the stairs altogether to give me a hug and tell me about their day. Nevermind that Daddy had sent them to bed long before. They just had to have a couple of minutes with their Mom.
Awww. My heart melted. GREAT mom moment.
Yesterday, all three kids had a friend over in the afternoon/evening. I was especially struck, as I was listening to their interactions, just how much my twins are growing up. The boy/girl twin thing is starting to create some interesting dynamics when they each have a friend here. I don't think I'm ready for this. Remember 6th grade? Remember beginning to care about (and be nervous around) boys? I see some of that changing. What's funny to me is that I now have a son that age who is relaying things from his boy perspective. If only I knew when I was a 6th grade girl just how those 6th grade boys were thinking! I would have saved myself some embarrasment for sure. Hopefully what I learn from my son will help me teach my girls some of what I had to learn the hard way.
Take this interaction from youth group last night (where they were playing baseball with the bases in reverse order). Girl comes over to my son and says, "Are you into sports?" Luke: "(hesitation)...yeah" Girl: "Well, isn't 3rd base normally over there?" Luke: "(hesitation)....yeah" Girl: "I thought so! I tried to tell that to my friend. Thanks!"
Luke tells me this story and he's thinking: "what a dumb girl!" And I'm thinking: "that girl thinks my son is cute and just wanted a reason to go up and talk to him!" Thankfully. He still has no clue. Or interest.
Oh, but that day is coming.
So I write this today to ask you, how is this motherhood thing going? Are you living out these precious years with your kids with a God-focus? Are you enjoying these precious little beings and savoring your time togehter? They are going to be grown up and gone so soon - are you being purposeful about what you're teaching them?
I get a little anxious when I think about how quickly my kids are growing up. I love interacting with them. Teaching them what it means to live a life devoted to Jesus. Seeing them grow into some pretty amazing little people. Laughing with them. Hearing their hearts. Just enjoying their company!
But never forget: no matter how much you love your children, God loves them more.
And not only that: our love for our children doesn't even come close to God's love for us.
Wow. Let that one sink in.
No matter where you are today, if you have children, will you do one thing? Enjoy them. Love on them. Pour out encouragement and blessing onto them. Thank God for allowing you the privilege of being called their Mom.
Oh what a gift this Mom thing is. Oh that we would never take it for granted.
My daily prayer is that I don't screw this up.
Well, not exactly, but I most certainly want to get this right! Life is fleeting. Time with these precious beings living under our roof will be gone before we want it to be. God has given us these little blessings, and therefore we have a responsibility to train them up according to His will.
I do NOT recommend taking this motherhood thing lightly. God's Word has a lot to say about training up our kids and not leading them astray. Some days, the whole thing can feel pretty overwhelming!
Today, I'm just enjoying my kids. Preparing to spend time in the pool as the heat index reaches 100+ this afternoon. Thinking about some fun mom moments from the past week. Wanting to just savor some of the recent blessings just a little bit longer.
Here's one of my favorites: last Friday I was at the Speak Up! Conference and left the house around 8:15AM and did not return until after 10:30PM. On my way home I was thinking that even though the kids would be in bed, I was excited to go down to their rooms and just check on them before I went to bed myself. Well, I was in the house no more than one minute before all three of them came bounding up the stairs altogether to give me a hug and tell me about their day. Nevermind that Daddy had sent them to bed long before. They just had to have a couple of minutes with their Mom.
Awww. My heart melted. GREAT mom moment.
Yesterday, all three kids had a friend over in the afternoon/evening. I was especially struck, as I was listening to their interactions, just how much my twins are growing up. The boy/girl twin thing is starting to create some interesting dynamics when they each have a friend here. I don't think I'm ready for this. Remember 6th grade? Remember beginning to care about (and be nervous around) boys? I see some of that changing. What's funny to me is that I now have a son that age who is relaying things from his boy perspective. If only I knew when I was a 6th grade girl just how those 6th grade boys were thinking! I would have saved myself some embarrasment for sure. Hopefully what I learn from my son will help me teach my girls some of what I had to learn the hard way.
Take this interaction from youth group last night (where they were playing baseball with the bases in reverse order). Girl comes over to my son and says, "Are you into sports?" Luke: "(hesitation)...yeah" Girl: "Well, isn't 3rd base normally over there?" Luke: "(hesitation)....yeah" Girl: "I thought so! I tried to tell that to my friend. Thanks!"
Luke tells me this story and he's thinking: "what a dumb girl!" And I'm thinking: "that girl thinks my son is cute and just wanted a reason to go up and talk to him!" Thankfully. He still has no clue. Or interest.
Oh, but that day is coming.
So I write this today to ask you, how is this motherhood thing going? Are you living out these precious years with your kids with a God-focus? Are you enjoying these precious little beings and savoring your time togehter? They are going to be grown up and gone so soon - are you being purposeful about what you're teaching them?
I get a little anxious when I think about how quickly my kids are growing up. I love interacting with them. Teaching them what it means to live a life devoted to Jesus. Seeing them grow into some pretty amazing little people. Laughing with them. Hearing their hearts. Just enjoying their company!
But never forget: no matter how much you love your children, God loves them more.
And not only that: our love for our children doesn't even come close to God's love for us.
Wow. Let that one sink in.
No matter where you are today, if you have children, will you do one thing? Enjoy them. Love on them. Pour out encouragement and blessing onto them. Thank God for allowing you the privilege of being called their Mom.
Oh what a gift this Mom thing is. Oh that we would never take it for granted.
I love how you ask how this motherhood thing is going. It just makes me want to pull up a chair and start chatting with you.
ReplyDeleteFor me right now, motherhood is about taking the time to explain, to really connect with them, helping them to understand the why and the how and because. It takes a lot of energy sometimes, but somehow, He always gives it back to me.
I love how you said you're "connecting" with them. That's really the ♥ of it, right? And yes, lots of energy is required. Motherhood is certainly NOT for the faint of heart.
DeleteI echo what Jen said about pulling up a chair to chat!! I finally... dug out my conference notes and looked up your blog. LOVE IT.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I was part of your "conference notes"! :-) I'm excited to see where God takes you and your writing...I think it's going to be BIG! Someday when my blog readership gets bigger than my little circle of friends, I can interview you on your new book! Can't wait.
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