Several of you other blogger Mamas have made mention of something in passing that greatly humbles me because it is so untrue: what a great mom I appear to be. I am not trying to be boastful here, I just want to set the record straight. Just like anybody else, I am muddling through, hoping I am doing the right thing for my Boys. I read all of your blogs and see just how far short I fall in comparison. (As a wise friend so sweetly reminded me today, the comparison and jealousy trap is far too easy to fall into!) Honestly, I am really struggling right now with balancing all the joys of motherhood with my other responsibilities like keeping the house clean, exercising this increasingly flabby body of mine, being faithful in my time alone with God and my time alone with Jeremy. There just do not seem to be enough hours in my day!
I do, however, love to talk to Owie about God things, and if I can just get this one thing right, fostering in my Boys a right relationship with their Creator, then everything else, that is only temporal anyway, will pale in comparison. Somehow, although it greatly intimidates me to discuss spiritual matters with my peers, talking to O about it flows quite naturally. He loves to discuss matters of the heart, and that is a trait I so want to encourage in him. In fact, he greatly challenges me to keep up with answers to his questions and fodder for him to digest. And so, we talk about God stuff all the time...like the Bible says in Deut 11:
18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up (or when we are in the car or in the bath or at the grocery store or during play time). 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates (or on our bulletin board, adorned with decoration!), 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. (comments in parentheses added by me!)
My main goal as Mom to O and Nosy is to instill in them a passion for God, hearts that only desire to follow His lead. I want their first inclination to be to turn to God, both when problems arise and when they are greatly blessed. (O's fave phrase already: "Say a prayer about it, Mommy!) I want Bible verses to constantly be on the tips of their tongues to get them through tough times and to be at the ready when discussing God with the people He brings into their lives. May it be completely second nature to them to pray things through prior to reacting and to check things against God's Word.
All this rambling just to say: I am not that great of a Mom. I know this to be true, especially when the whining wears me down to my very last nerve, but I am trying. And whether our day is great or horrible, O and I often stop what we are doing and commit the day back to Him who gave us the day to begin with. And really, directing my kids to a relationship with God is all that matters.
3 comments:
Amen to the great post, and for "keeping it real!" ;o)
What a precious wife and mommy you are to your sweet family!
I'm so blessed to have you as my bloggy friend! :o)
I certainly empathize with the plight of 'too much to do, so little time'. It's why I believe that it really does 'take a village'. We cannot do it all on our own (and sometimes not even with some help!). It seems your priorities are spot on though. Nuturing our relationship and our children's relationship with God is what's eternally important. You are a great mommy. Thanks for the inspiration (again--you just can't help but be inspiring :).
This post ,my friend, is why you are an AWESOME mother. I think many of us agree we commend your mothering skills to how much time you devote to filling your son's heart with a love for the Lord. Like you said, nothing else really matters. I think everything else that defines a "good mother" is based largely on what the world defines. I image our precious Lord will say someday to you, "Well done, my good and faithful servant" Matthew 25:21 Love you, Rachel!
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