"We are not always permitted to see the
visible results of the seeds planted in the
hearts of our children, but we have the
promise of God's Word that there will be
a time of harvest.
"What godly seed could you plant in your
children's lives today? The seed could be
in the form of words or from your example.
Talk to God about it, and He'll lead you.
Then continue to water those seeds
through prayer."
-Evelyn Roberts [from make your day count]
I am a visual learner, so when a verse really hits home, I like to make a verse card out of it. This is my verse for today. So often throughout the day my flesh or pride takes control and I see the little things slip. It may seem small or insignifigant in the eyes of most parenting philosophies today, but I know in my heart it was wrong. When the spirit pricks I have a decision to make. To ignore it with my justifiable (i.e. lousy) excuse or to ponder my ways and make them right. I am amazed at how different of a parent I am now compared to the beautiful months of first being a mother. Those days were all sweet, filled with cuddling and coos of which I couldn't get enough of. Now, every day is a battle; for my spirit to remain in control, for love to abound, for my 3 year olds heart in submission & attitude. And if I am not careful, the weariness sets in, the waves of frustration plunge me into control rather than nourishment & guidance. We have a sensitive job, and if our hearts & spirits are not right, we certainly are not going to do our job correctly. So maybe it doesn't seem to have such a huge fall out right now, today. But be sure that it will rear its ugly head. Something convicting I heard recently in a sermon was, "What if your home had been taped for the last 2 months. What would we see & hear going on?" Wow, did that scare me. I knew there were moments I had given into my flesh and spoke harshly to my son or acted in frustration. The funny thing is that the rebuking or correcting words that come out of my mouth directed toward my son might as well come right back to me. I am the one who needs to have a "right heart spirit" and to remember that "obedience is doing what you are told, when you are told to do it, with the right heart attitude!" It's easy to expect it of my 3 year old, but what about me? I often struggle with some of the very same things toward my husband or the Lord. But they are the same heart issues! May we continue to pursue holiness and realize we are not exempt in any way just because we are the mommy!
