High Calling: LOVE your family

"No one has more potential for godly influence on a child

then that child's God-fearing mother.

We, therefore, are to take up the cause,

answer God's call, muster up our courage,

and set out to be the best, most faithful teacher of God's word

and God's ways we can be to our precious children."

-E. George

"...Admonish the young women to love their...children."

Titus 2:4

Some days I'm so good at taking this "mothering" thing as seriously as I need to. I will rise early to pray and prepare. I schedule play times and meals, make sure my daughter's clothes fit and shoes aren't too tight. It's a BIG deal to me...raising this little one.

But then other days - I forget. I forget the impact I'm having on this little life. And the impact I will have on the life to come here in a few months. IMPACT. So I dawdle on the phone or computer, asking her to "shhh" or "just a minute" repeatedly. I ignore the teachable moments because I'm so tired. So this. So that. Sometimes I just flat out fail.

Chapter 11 in "A Woman's High Calling" deals with mothers loving their families. It was such a great reminder to me about just what God has set out for me to do. I chose to be home - be near - so now what will I do with it?!

"Love is the highest blessing in an earthly home, and of this the wife and mother is the natural center."

How true! How many days has my attitude - whether good or bad - set the tone of my home? My reactions demonstrate to my child what is really important. The longer I'm a mother the more plain to me this truth is. Not that daddy is exempt...but, I'm the one at home. I set the tone.

When I clean up another mess...

am I joyful?

When my child is disobedient...

am I consistent and loving in my correction?

When I have the choice between one-on-one time or flipping on another HGTV show...

do I choose the good and right option?

And, I'm not pulling down false guilt on myself or anyone. It's obviously always between my heart and the Lord how I'm doing at home loving my family. But, oh, the work that needs to be done - in my heart. :) What a challenge today! In this book - the author says over and over again how we need to watch the modeling of older Christian mothers as examples... and I've been doing that. I watch mom's of teens - the stress lines on foreheads as they pray for wayward children or the pure joy of watching one make a great decision. Consistent. I watch mom's of older, married children - how they now love on grandkids, pull them close - while encouraging the resting momma. I watch mom's of elementary kids - busy, bustling, going with the flow. Involved in every detail. We have so much to learn from watching our older sisters in the Lord.

I've been so thankful, too, for the sisters that God has placed around me right now. Sisters with babes the same age as my own - teaching me what it looks like to be patient, loving, open. They take their high calling seriously - and never claim to be perfect - but, are always working on it. What a challenge to me. Who is watching me? Am I living out my high calling today? Yesterday? Am I fully depending on the strength of the Lord to raise this little life? Or am I making it too much about myself? Good thoughts for today.

High Calling - LOVE our children. LOVE our family.