The Rogers' Family Blog

The "Why"

Committing Our Lives To God's Design, Pt1 (this Post)

Robot

2011-05-13T20:51:00.003-06:00

I will be continuing on with the Mission of Motherhood posts. But we are getting our gardens in this weekend, so my time is devoted to that.

I did want to post this amazing robot that Caleb made though. Auntie Sarah bought him a book on robots for Christmas. It has been quite the hit. Daddy and Caleb read it often and it has inspired some handiwork of a sorts.

Caleb's First Robot

Buttons that make his arms go in and out, a gun go in and out, lasers shoot, forward and backwards (of course), and some more things I can't quite remember but they all had to do with explosions and the such.

Here is one of the guns. Nerf darts would be the ammo of choice for this robot.

I was quite impressed with how much time Caleb spent building it. He used boxes, pencils, straws, clothespins, wire, tape and a Nerf gun. Oh, and a couple of plastic golf clubs for arms. All in all, a very cool robot!

Exploring the Meaning of Biblical Motherhood part 2

2011-05-11T04:59:00.006-06:00

I started Chapter 2 with this post. And since I like to talk (or I guess blog my thoughts) I have a part 2 for chapter 2. =)

What Happened to God's Design? When God's Design is Forgotten or Ignored?

This is important. Cause I need to know what warning signs to look for if I start to do this. Plus, we already discussed that obeying God's design for us is the way to go for our children and ourselves.

And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day. For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us. Deuteronomy 6:24-25

Sally says, family is at the center of God's design for all people and, moreover, is the center of life from which God's work and redemption will begin.

And God, when His design was complete, pronounced it very good.

Which leaves us, of course, with the question of what happened... The answer as to why it happened is found in Genesis 3. What happened to God's design for men, women, children and families was human sin! (Genesis 3:1-6)

This meant that humans no longer reasoned as God reasoned, and they began to make up their own theories about their purpose in life.

This is chilling to me. To know that my natural inclination is to not reason the way God reasons. To know that Satan would like nothing better than to make me start thinking lies about my role as a mother. To know that Satan will seek a foothold in my life by making me doubt my ability as a mother, making me feel like I've failed, making me focus on everything that's not working.

I see Satan's work so much now days when it comes to how people feel about family and children and marriage. I have had people dismiss me completely when they find out I stay home and my first priorities are my husband and my children. We are told by the world to look for fulfillment outside of the home in a job, sports, hobbies, and owning more stuff. This is not God's design! Remember he created us to have children, be blessed by them, pass on His ways to them.

When the mission and reason for having children is lost, they easily come to be seen as a time drain, a monetary expense, a career impediment, a curtailer of personal freedom.

Because children are not considered important enough to occupy the lion's share of a mother's time, childcare quickly becomes a growth industry. The responsibility of instilling morality, conscience, intellect, emotional stability, and spiritual understanding is relegated to daycare, teachers, schools, the media and peers. Emotionally, spiritually and often physically as well, children tend to be left to their own devices- left to flounder for love, purpose, and meaning in a culture that values time, efficiency, and measured productivity above the real needs of a human being.

And once children lose their value in a culture, so does the work of bringing them into this world and tending them once they are here.

Often, as a result, women feel confused and torn between the cultural messages they hear about what is important for them to do and the eternal message God has written on their hearts.

It saddens me to admit this, but I have thought too many times to count, "When my children are older, then I can get something done."

Why would I think that I am getting nothing done now? Is raising three beautiful blessings less important than projects, house cleaning or hobbies? NO!!! But here is a prime example of my reasoning not being the Lord's. Partly because I needed to really get into the Word and cram my heart full of what God's purpose for me and His heart for my kids really is.

The most important factor in being a successful mother is in turning our hearts to God, to seek His will, and to allow Him to begin making sense out of the messes we've made of our lives. He who created motherhood is the gentle teacher whose ways and input we must seek.

Lord,

I want to turn my heart to you everyday, every hour, every minute! Please show me your will in my life as a mama. Forgive me for ever thinking that my children are nothing short of a miracle and a gift sent from you. Teach me God how to be a mama that shows my children this with my words, thoughts, and actions. Let my children see that they are precious to me, loved unconditionally by me and worthy of my time, resources and life. God, help me to tune out the world and tune into your design for me. May your name be praised forever, Lord!

In Jesus Name,
Amen

Posts In This Series:

Exploring the Meaning of Biblical Motherhood, Pt2 (this post)

The "Why"

Preschool and PreK Units

2011-05-10T22:25:00.011-06:00

**I AM STILL ADDING TO THIS**

Below is a list of unit studies we did for Preschool and PreK. Caleb did not start Kindergarten until he was 6, so some of the PreK units could be used for Kindergarten as well. The units are listed youngest to older. Happy learning!

PRESCHOOL UNITS:

BOOK UNIT STUDIES

The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Honeybee and the Robber

Corduroy

Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear

HOLIDAY UNIT STUDIES

4th of July Mini Unit

Pumpkin Unit

Easter

SCIENCE UNIT STUDIES

Snow Unit:

Thermometer Fun

Biscuit Snowmen

Ice

BIRD, NEST and EGGS UNIT

Eggs

Flour, Phonics, Fun

Nesting Materials Hunt

Build Your Own Nest

Egg Hunt and Egg Math

SEED UNIT

DANDELION UNIT

Dandelion Walk/Part 2

OCEAN/BEACH UNIT

Ocean/Beach Unit Books

MOON UNIT

DECIDUOUS TREES

Parts of a Tree, Rings, Bark

Foam Tree, Leaf Walk

Leaves ID

More Cool Deciduous Tree Fun

Deciduous Tree Books

APPLE/JOHNNY APPLESEED

Seasons of Apple Tree

Parts of an Apple, Apple Prints, Taste Testing, Johnny Appleseed

FALL LEAVES

Leaf Rubbings and Leaf Man Nature Walk

Leaf Stained Glass, Why Do Leaves Change Color and Leaf Nature Walk

BIBLE UNIT STUDIES

Jacob and Esau Unit

Daniel and the Lions Den

1 Corinthians 12, The Body of Christ

HOMESCHOOL HODGEPODGE

Hands on Math, Reindeer Food Craft, Christmas Reading

Classroom Clothesline

Flyswatter Learning

More Phonics

Preschool and PreK Nature Study

2011-05-10T22:20:00.006-06:00

Below is a list of many different nature study activities we did for Preschool and PreK. Some are very simple and some could be whole unit studies. You can also find other nature study and science ideas in our specific Preschool and PreK Unit Studies. Our family loves nature and we incorporate it into much of our learning and free time as well.

**I AM STILL ADDING TO THIS**

PRESCHOOL:

Beginning Math and Nature

Poudre Trail Nature Walk/Staghorn Sumac

Nature Treasures Walk

Bird's Eggs

Nesting Materials Hunt/Building the Nest

Bird Nest and Eggs Books

Seed Art

Seed Books

Spring Colors Nature Walk

Spring is For...

Dandelion Walk/Part 2

Seasons of Apple Tree

Fall Leaves

Leaf Stained Glass, Leaf Walk, Why Do Leaves Change Color

Backyard Nature Study Resources

Family Friendly Field Guides

2011-05-10T22:14:00.000-06:00

This is a list of some of our favorite and most used field guides. Each one is family friendly, meaning that children will be able to look things up with minimal help, but there is still plenty of information to satisfy curious Daddies and Mommies too. We own each of these and enjoy them all!

BIRDS:

Birds of Colorado by Stan Tekiela

(he does one for each state and they are wonderful)

Ultimate Guide To Sanibel and Captiva Birds by Bev Postmus

Birds, Nests and Eggs (Take Along Guide Series) by Mel Boring

All About Birds by Cornell Lab of Ornithology

INSECTS and BUGS:

Peterson First Guide To Insects Of North America by Christopher Leahy

Caterpillars, Bugs and Butterflies (Take Along Guide) by Mel Boring

FLOWERS:

Rocky Mountain Wildflowers by David Dahms

Wildflowers, Blooms and Blossoms (Take Along Guide) by Diane L. Burns

TREES:

Fandex Family Field Guides: Trees by Steven Aronson

Winter Tree Finder by May T. Watts and Tom Watts

BERRIES, NUTS, SEEDS:

Berries, Nuts and Seeds (Take Along Guide) by Diane L. Burns

SEASHELLS, CRABS, SEA STARS:

The Ultimate Guide To Sanibel and Captiva Shells And Beach Life by Steven Lewers

Seashells, Crabs and Sea Stars (Take Along Guide) by Christiane Kump Tibbitts

TRACKS, SCAT, ANIMAL SIGNS:

Tracks, Scat and Signs (Take Along Guide) by Leslie Dendy

MAMMALS:

Rabbits, Squirrels and Chipmunks (Take Along Guide) by Mel Boring

MISC:

Field Trips: Bug Hunting, Animal Tracking, Bird Watching, Shore Walking by Jim Arnosky

Wonkiness =)

2011-05-10T09:48:00.004-06:00

Just a quick post to say I am still working on blog organization. So my categories will be all wonky for a bit. I am trying to get things into a Preschool/Prek category and a Preschool/PreK Nature Study category. All of this instead of having every unit and every idea as a seperate category. The plan being that you can click on Preschool for instance and see a whole list of what we did and click on specific links. Since I have limited blog time this seems to be a bigger project than I realized. But I am determined, so it will happen. Please ignore the wonkiness for a bit. Sorry, but I think I really like that word, wonky, that is. =)

The WHY

2011-05-10T04:24:00.007-06:00

After reading my last post from the Mission of Motherhood series I felt the need to clarify something.

I talked a lot about what God's design for us as moms is. And about what he lays out in the Bible as our roles in the home as moms. Since I am type A, I tend to lean towards looking for the "how" or a "plan." But the "how" and the "plan" really mean nothing without the "why." The "why" God wants us to do this is what will get us through. It is the meaning, the point, the mission. It will help us as moms to keep following the "plan" and the "how."

For me as a mom it is important to know what God has laid on Cale's heart for our family's mission. Then I can take that and know what my portion of that mission is based on how God directs me in His word. For our family in a nutshell it is:

1. Winning Our Kid's Hearts Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
2. Teaching and modeling how to have a personal relationship with the Lord.
John 17:3 Now this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
AND
Ephesians 3:16-19 I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

3. Helping our kids take what talents God has given them and teaching and directing them how to use those to glorify God and minister to others. Romans 12:6-8 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
4. Building a strong Biblical foundation and teaching them to filter everything through the truth. The goal being that as they get older they will be able to do this on their own.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. (I love this verse. This is what we pray our children will be able to do when they are "released" into the world.)
5. Teaching them how to pass all the above on when they have their own families one day. This looks different for Caleb and for Caroline and Charlotte since they will have different roles. But the principle is the same. Deuteronomy 6:1-2 These are the commands, decrees, and regulations that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you. You must obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy, and you and your children and grandchildren must fear the Lord your God as long as you live. If you obey all his decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.

Deuteronomy 6:20-25 In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the Lord our God has commanded us to obey?’ “Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand. The Lord did miraculous signs and wonders before our eyes, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people. He brought us out of Egypt so he could give us this land he had sworn to give our ancestors. And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day. For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us.

Now my type A can come back in. I can take the "why" above and make those lists, write down the verses God gives me to have direction, and make those plans. Then I can pray, pray, pray and hopefully listen to the Holy Spirit's directing. Cause there's no way I can make any of this happen on my own.

Posts In This Series:

The "Why" (this post)

Psalm 127:3 - 5, Psalm 128: 1 -4

Exploring the Meaning of Biblical Motherhood

2011-05-09T06:58:00.001-06:00

I have been reading the book, "The Mission of Motherhood" by Sally Clarkson and have started a series of posts about my thoughts as I go through it. You might want to read Chapter 1 first.

Chapter 2, Beautiful By Design (if it's in quotes then it's Sally's words, NOT MINE!)

Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

God made mothers. He designed us, in His own image none the less. Our world is full of parenting books, counselors, well meaning friends and progressive ideas. But we must be so very careful. Only God's design for mothers will lead us to success with our children, fulfillment in our role as a mom and fruit in each season of our children's lives.

Genesis 1:26- 27 Let Us make man in our image, according to our likeness; let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over everything that creeps on earth. And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them.

So as mothers (actually this part is for all of us, mothers or not) we should reflect God in everything we do. Let's think about what God looks like so we can try to look the same.

We should be loving, moral, wise (I better keep praying on that one), forgiving, consistent, slow to anger, firm with sin ...

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them and God said to them, be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.

God blessed us (still is) and told us to have children. Sounds like a job for a mama to me. Okay, I have done this. Yay! Obeying God is a good thing. =)

There are many more verses about children and families being God's blessings to us.

We can also look to Jesus to see God's heart on the matter of children, family and even moms.

Jesus also demonstrated a consistent concern and affection for children and considered them important to the work of God's Kingdom. Again and again the gospels show Him spending time with children, talking to them, blessing them, drawing them onto His lap.

Clearly, nothing in God's mind had changed between the time of the Old Testament and the New in regard to the design of family and the centrality of children in His plan to bless and redeem the earth.

Even from the cross, Jesus expressed his respect for family, requesting specifically that his disciple John take care of His mother, Mary.

So I'm getting the picture that God equipped me from the beginning to be a mama and to feel blessed by the children He gifts me with. He designed me with the body to be able to do this. He made me with the emotions to reflect the aspects of Him He would want in a mom. We all know women are the emotional centers of their homes. Sometimes I think we can look upon this as a weakness, but it seems God did this on purpose. I can nurture my children with that helping nature I have and create that close relationship with them since as a woman God made me a relational creature.

So part of God's design/role for moms He already built onto us. It comes naturally. Yes!

But what about something more specific? Cause I am type A that way. I need to actually be able to make a list of what God wants a mama to be so I can feel like I have a chance of trying to do it. It's a sad thing, but true.

Proverbs 31: 10 - 31 tells us as moms even more specifically what our roles are based on the gifts God built into us from the very beginning. Notice most of these revolve around the home.

- preparing food (verse 14)

- clothing (verse 13, 21)

- ministering to others (verse 17 - 20)

- teaching our children (verse 26)

- spiritual life (verse 30)

- future and well being (verse 25)

- productivity (verse 27)

Now many of these verses may seem outdated. But we must remember the principle behind them. The principle that God is giving us is never outdated. It should never change, it is what we should use as our job description if you will. But the method, now that I believe can sometimes change to reflect the times.

For instance, Proverbs 31: 13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.

I do not believe God will think we are shrinking our duties as mothers if we buy our children's clothes from Target instead of sewing or knitting them ourselves. As long as we are upholding the principle of taking the responsibility of providing our children with clothing. This is a good thing since I can not sew anything. Nothing at all.

Proverbs 31:27 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Now that's the kicker for me. The one I can struggle with. Idleness, that is. As a mother I am supposed to look "well to the ways of my household and not eat the bread of idleness" and being lazy or selfish or not feeling like it is not a part of that job description. Good thing God forgives, extends grace and equips us with the Holy Spirit. Because I really enjoy being idle. I do this with my kids often, not just by myself, but it's still me being lazy. That's that sin nature in me that I hate so much.

As I look at these verses I believe most of what is described here is a form of nurturing our children. When I look at it that way, well for me it's easier to swallow and makes me more motivated. I don't really want to do laundry and grocery shopping. But I really want to nurture my children in a Godly way. And I think as a mama I can forget that all of those dirty clothes being washed, all of those never ending messes being cleaned, well my kids feel loved when I do that for them. They feel secure.

Plus, and I love that Sally put this in:

When God's commands are obeyed, people flourish because they are living in harmony with the way they were designed and the One who designed them.

Creating a household with God at the center, loving my children, nurturing their hearts and minds, training their characters, leading them to know and love the Lord will bring about a feeling of harmony, focus, and completeness within me. Within me, not just my children. God is good!

Chapter 2 to be continued...

Posts In This Series:

Exploring the Meaning of Biblical Motherhood, Pt1 (this post)

The "Why"

Goals for Caleb and Caroline

2011-05-06T05:33:00.004-06:00

I have been reading the book, "The Mission of Motherhood" by Sally Clarkson and have started a series of posts about my thoughts as I go through it. You might want to read this post first.

Now remember, I read the first half of this book right after Charlotte was born. She is 9 months now. Plus, the concept of having goals, writing them down, discussing them is something Cale and I had done before. No, it was not our idea. We got it from a parenting conference. =) So do not feel like I am just so on the ball and Cale and I sat down and goals just poured out of us.

We made these goals about 10 months ago. We put the kids to bed early and then had a Daddy/Mama meeting. We prayed together and then made a list of the things we felt our kids were struggling with and what they were doing great with.

Our family's verse is "Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind and with all your strength." Mark 12:30

This has been the verse Cale felt God gave to our family. It is one of the first verses our kids memorize. It is how we want to live our lives, what we want our kids to see us do every day, what we try to weigh our decisions and commitments through, what we want our kids to desire to live their lives like.

So we took the two lists and this verse and we made goals. Then we PRAYED! We asked God to let us know if we were leaving something out. Did we put something on the list that was influenced by the world and not the desire to glorify Him? Cause I have to tell you it is VERY, VERY HARD to tune the world out sometimes.

We also share these goals with Caleb and Caroline. (Caleb really get this, Caroline not as much) We tell them everything we see that they are good at. We tell them we are so happy that God made us their parents. We tell them we see how they love the Lord more and more everyday and that makes us so proud. We remind them that all of their talents come from God and isn't it so wonderful He made them that way!

But we also remind them that we want to keep trying to be more like Jesus. To do this we have some things we can work on and pray about. Then we tell them the goals we have for them. They ask us questions. We remind them that we are all sinners and need Jesus to ever have a chance of working towards these goals.

Next we post the goals in the house so the kids can see them everyday. Then we pray with the kids, we pray as parents and Cale and I each pray separately. I keep a copy of each child's goals in my Bible so I remember to do this often. We also encourage the kids to pray for help reaching their goals. Caleb likes to remind us that we should pray for help listening to the Holy Spirit. He is really into the fact that part of God lives in him.

Do we do this everyday? No, we are not perfect. I have gone weeks and forgotten to do this. It truly just won't enter my mind. It is so hard for me to admit how often I fail as a mama. But God reminds me to start praying for a specific goal with that child again when we see the same sin issue happening over and over again.

These are the goals we have for Caleb and Caroline.

GOALS FOR CALEB (by 6 years old)

- Consistent Bible time to grow in knowledge of who God is, what He has done and what Herequires of Caleb

- reading and discussing with dad and mom

- listening to Bible on CD during quiet times

- family worship activities and discussions (daddy leads this)

- Memorization of God's word

- Jesus Box (daddy leads this)

- House Rule verses: these are in our Jesus Box, posted on our pantry door and we refer to them during times of discipline

- Obey first time asked without arguing or complaining (arguing can be an issue for Caleb)

- Complete all chores with little supervision

- Entertain younger sisters when asked

- Can get self control after discipline in a reasonable amount of time

- Accepts correction with a good attitude most of the time

- Sit quietly and entertain self for specified length of time

- Brush teeth by self: Mom and Dad still check (he struggles with this)

- Beginning Reading (this is not an academic goal, but a character goal because we want him to be able to read the Bible)

GOALS FOR CAROLINE (by 3 years old)

- Consistent Bible time to grow in knowledge of who God is, what He has done and what Herequires of Caroline (this is done as a family daily, but also one on one with age appropriate Bible stories and songs)

- reading basic Bible stories and discussing with dad and mom (Adam and Eve is her favorite)

- listening to Bible or Bible songs on CD during quiet times

- family worship activities and discussions (daddy leads this)

- Beginning Memorization of God's word (in no particular order, we have only started with the first two. But she sings others with her brother that she cannot do on her own)

- Genesis 1:1 (knows this one pretty well)

- Psalm 118:24 (loves this one)

- Colossians 3:20

- Luke 6:31

- Mark 12:30

- Does not pitch fits when she doesn't get her way (she really struggles with this)

- Complete chores with help/supervision (still training her on chores and giving LOTS of praise)

- Share (has to be reminded, but does willingly most times after reminder)

- Play quietly in room or by a parent for 20 minutes

- Got to bed and naps without pitching a fit

- Obey when we say "no" words

- Come to us when we ask her to, right away

- Knows and follows rules in stores

- Sit in buggy

- No touching

- No asking for things

- Potty Trained: not during naps and night (working on this now, she's doing great!)

Cale and I have found that we love setting goals for the kids. When we set goals for each child we have a standard by which to measure their improvement or lack thereof. It also keeps us as parents accountable (I NEED THIS) and the kids know what we expect of them. Plus, and this is the biggie, we can pray very specifically for each child.

Caroline turns 3 in June and Caleb turns 6 in August. So we will be doing this whole process again very soon.

Here is a link to our House Rules as well. You might notice that many of the goals tie together with verses on our house rules.

Posts In This Series:

Goals For Caleb and Caroline (this post)

The "Why"

Discovering the Mission of Motherhood

2011-05-05T05:50:00.001-06:00

Chapter 1, A Journey Like No Other (if it's in quotes then it's Sally's words, NOT MINE!)

"God designed motherhood to be a deeply meaningful role."

I have always known motherhood is important, hard, full of joys, full of frustration, and a job created by God. But the question of what exactly does God want us to do as mothers? What is God's design for this role? I don't actually believe I'd given that much thought. Scary, should have done that before having children. (Note to self: teach this to Caroline and Charlotte!)

"These precious little ones had endless needs. They were busy little sinful creatures who demanded all of my body, time life emotions and attention. As much as I loved my children I often felt like a failure."

Now to be fair, this is not how I felt at first. But as time went on, as children got older, as more came well, the job of being a mama became more complicated. Knowing God's plan/design/role would be helpful. I became determined to find out. And NEVER stop learning about it.

I also knew I wanted to secure a spiritual legacy for my children. I knew to do this I would need to have a very close relationship with each one. Good thing I truly enjoy spending time with my kids. But what is the best way to form this relationship? Quality time, quantity? Training, teaching, guiding. Honestly, I had no idea how the best way to do this would be. What should I focus on? What should I let go of? I knew God had thought of all of this and had provided the answers. He is so faithful that way.

"As we tenderly care for our children, meeting their needs, teaching them and guiding them, praying for them and modeling our faith, we are also anchoring their hearts to our home, our values and our beliefs. These ties are built over a period of many years, through the small ways we spend the minutes of our days and the large ways we celebrate the momentous events in our lives."

"The mother who reaches the heartfelt needs of her child by helping them feel loved and secure, by believing in their dreams, by noticing when they stray and gently steering them back in the right direction, and by teaching them what they need to know to live full and meaningful lives accomplishes a great work for the Lord."

Yes! This is what I need to know more about. How does God instruct me as a mama to do this?

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:

Psalm 127:3 Sons are a heritage from the Lord. Children are a reward from Him.

This is how God feels about children. I'm so glad and thankful he made my heart in the same accord on this. I know this is not a common thought about children for many people today. So this is one hurdle I do not have to get over. I know my kids are a gift from Him. Which is one of the main reasons I want to do the job in a way that would glorify God.

Psalm 127:1 Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

The secret to a Godly family is for THE LORD TO BUILD IT, BE AT THE CENTER OF IT. If we as parents, me as a mom, are not following God's path then all of my work will be in vain. What a waste that would be. How scary. That would be failing my children. And I do not want to do that. And I know God does not want me to fail either because He put the desire in my heart to be a mama. I praise Him for that!

SOMETHING TO TRY:

Schedule a personal planning time to evaluate your own goals. Write down your goals for your family, for each child. How are you falling short? How can you do better? Spend time in prayer committing this to the Lord.

An action plan! I am all about that. But I need to remember to pray and commit these goals to the Lord. I need to slow down and not get excited and run on ahead of God's plans and timing. I need to rest and be still in Him. This can be hard for me. But if I desire to be a Godly mama, the best for my children, I can do this!

Posts In This Series:

Discovering the Mission of Motherhood (this post)

The "Why"

Mission of Motherhood

2011-05-03T21:39:00.006-06:00

Awhile back I started, "The Mission of Motherhood" by Sally Clarkson. I read half, loved every minute of it, was inspired, had questions answered and more. Then life became hectic and I put the book down for a time. It is not a book to rush through. I recently picked it up and began reading it again. WONDERFUL! I highly recommend this book.

Because of the impact it has had on me, and I have not even finished it yet, I wanted to go back and record some of my answers to questions and thoughts. So I figured I'd do that here.

I will post on each chapter. Some might be longer than others. I'm just going to go where the Lord leads.

Posts In This Series:

Mission of Motherhood (this post)

The "Why"