Thrifty Thursday!

*This tips comes on the heals of an amazing Mother's Day Sermon (listen here!) and the conclusion of reading Sally Clarkson's book on motherhood.  It's a more serious Thursday because it's what's on my heart!  It wasn't the easiest to truncate my thoughts...hang in there!

Thrifty Tip #22:  Do NOT be thrifty in your role as a mom!  It'll be the best investment you ever make for your children!


When I started reading The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity
by Sally Clarkson, I was honestly looking for a mothering book that would give me the "secret code" for teaching my children perfect obedience.  I wanted to know how "to do it all" as a mother. Truthfully, I wanted some easy catch phrases and the tools that would make mothering seem "easy".

Instead, I have walked away with a vision of teaching and training my children to love God with their whole hearts.  I gained a "goal to make the Lord real--His character, beauty, love, justice, truth, excellence, and purpose.  My goal is to touch my children's hearts with the overwhelming wonder of His presence  As I seek to gently and lovingly expose my children to the natural greatness of God's being, my hope is that their own devotion will naturally arise out of the wellspring of their full hearts."   I want to touch my children's hearts in a way that will turn their hearts toward their Savior! 

A friend sent me this note recently:  

I love this sentence (from the book):  "But once we commit to embrace the vision of motherhood, God always provides the creative guidance we need to keep moving toward our goal."

 Oh, Praise GOD for this!  I wholeheartedly believe this and am so thankful that God's guidance, the Spirit, Christian women, families, etc can infuse us with the creativity we need to embrace this mission.  Motherhood LOOKS like different things - it is different at every single household, because every child and every mother is completely unique.  How quickly the world (our enemy) homogenizes mothers and children into pools that are classified, described, pulled, led, shoved according to the world's standards.  Don't pull me in, world!  

I am so thankful that as a child of God, my mission is eternal, and it should not be swayed by what is popular, trendy, new, or on the other hand, historic and traditional.  What this creativity means to me, practically speaking - is an active engagement in the life of my boys.  You've seen it: the passive Mom that's too busy/bored/tired/annoyed to invest in their kids.  Sure, they are "mothering" with their presence and time, but they aren't creatively structuring and building a life with eternal value for their children.  I know I don't have all 24 hours a day to be present with my boys, so I NEED the inspiration and creativity that God lends me to actively parent them.  This means goals, ideas, plans, rules, activities, that aren't bogged down by the world's suggestion of popular-parenting, but are all leading down the road that ends at the cross and the tomb - the gospel.  If they don't see Christ through me as an active and creative parent, where are they going to see it?  Who better can show them?  Who loves them more than their mother?  Like Christ is ACTIVE in my life and the great CREATOR, I desire to be ACTIVE and CREATIVE in the lives of my boys.  What a precious amazing gift that God has entrusted to my care.

 

I have pretty amazing friends, right?

So, who do I need to be?  A whole-hearted mother who daily seeks God's plan and His will--His plan for my life and for my children.

"My children didn't need me to be on top of all my chores or even be perfect in taking care of all their needs.  What they needed was for me to be content and patience with life.  They needed me to walk by faith that God was in control, allowing his Spirit to give me peace and joy in the midst of life's inevitable ups and downs....When I model patience in the midst of difficulty, joy in the midst of messes, contentment in the midst of lack, then I provide them a pattern for their own lives.  They will learn that my joy is not circumstantial but real because I have an endless source of strength through the power of the Holy Spirit in my life."

Here are a few questions that have challenged me as a mom lately:

Do I live like my children are a blessing or a burden?
Do I daily show them grace, mercy, and unconditional love?
Do I love them selflessly like Jesus Christ loves me?
Do I share with them beautiful things in nature that reflect the awesome Creator?

There could be so so many more!  It's good to continue to challenge ourselves and strive for growth!

Please take the time to jump over and listen to this sketch by my talented friend, Jessica:  A Mom's Life.  
A painting similar to the one below was painted by my other talented friend Abby live during this sketch. 
It was so touching!  I'll try to get a picture of the real painting soon!

They shall call her blessed.