Smile often, and let kindness be a cloak you wear as an example to your children.
(from Motivation for Moms 12/21/12)
I was watching these sweet ones today, doing their usual boy antics, and I noticed the joy they had. Laughter found in wrestling with a brother, a big genuine smile in a game of peek-a-boo, the excitement of inspecting a "real" fire truck, sweet pleasure of picking a candy cane to eat, simply a responding smile to a smile...
All of these things joy in the simple every day things.
And I reflected on my own attitude. How I need to see this joy more often. How
I need to express this joy more often and truly rejoice in the everyday...
and how the LORD has blessed me beyond measure. How it seems we lose this joy as we get older, letting the cares of this world burden our souls and hearts.
casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.~1 Peter 5:7
Letting our energy go towards work, bills, everyday issues and missing the bigger picture...the relationships.
but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.~Mark 4:19
The work, the plan, the purpose we were created for...for His glory, to glorify Him.
The fruit of the spirit. It is sweet and pleasing, peaceful, joyful.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.~Galatians 5:22-23
Praying you see this too. Love your sweet ones, forgive, find joy in the seemingly mundane, a content heart is priceless, have your priorities in the right order and have time with the LORD, the only one who can fill you with a complete and satisfying joy.
1 comment:
hi bree!
yikes! you certainly have your hands full.
you asked me how to balance it all. well,
you can't. sorry.
you have to choose the best part, focus on
that and try not to worry about what's not
as important.
ask the Lord to help you prioritize and let
go of the things you can't keep up with. my
children weren't always dressed so great but
their tummies and their hearts were full.
my husband didn't always have a beautiful
wife, but i tried to save a good part of me
for him.
i took naps when the baby napped and made
the older ones have a quiet rest time. the
most quite one, won something (special
time with dad, got to choose dinner, ten
extra minutes later to bedtime . . . it didn't
reallly matter.)
help your friends, and let your friends help
you. one day cook enough for another
family, the next day let them cook for you.
try to think outside the box.
let the older boys take turns cooking dinner,
helping with the laundry, keeping things in
order. make it a competition and use
positive reinforcement as much as possible.
that's just off the top of my head, but you
already know that the Lord gave those boys
to you and has given you the anointing to
mother them. the enemy says, "you can't
do it, " but he's a liar.
is there an older woman in your church that
you could adopt? have her for dinner, and
she will probably help you more than you
would imagine.
be encouraged and of good cheer. He is
faithful and will send help from unexpected
place.
love,
lea
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