Are you Me?

         As part of the challenge in studying Priscilla Shirer’s Armor of God, we are asked to weekly put together a “prayer strategy.”  This strategy is ascertained by combining our favorite verses, quotes and what we hear God saying to us individually during the week of study.

         This combination of thoughts and observations are then to be written on a three by five card written out into a prayer.  (If you saw, WarRoom, you can think, “prayer closet” with post-it notes.)  It is a beautiful idea to help us become prayer warriors in our own right.

         Sitting with our small group yesterday the “prayer strategy” 3x5 cards came into topic.  One of the gals shared her hesitancy in writing out her prayer on the beautiful cards we are provided.  Her hesitancy included wanting to write it out without mistakes.  In her “best handwriting” and “without mistakes” she said. Finally she said she felt so much pressure to not make any corrections she wanted to write it on a separate piece of paper and then transpose it.

         When she finished her explanation, I looked at her and asked, “Are you me?”  She had more eloquently than I can remember to record for you, stated exactly how I feel.  Yes, exactly how I have felt about the cards, but more specifically my life.

         So often, I just don’t want to even start.  Why?  Because I want to be perfect.   Sometimes, I want to hold on to something special or meaningful (a new gift, clothes, pens, lotions…you name it.)  (Moms, really?  I may need to get into counseling based on this confession.)

         All that said, I want to be perfect.  I want to have it all together.  I want to do my best, be the best, excel in all areas.  As ridiculous and impossible as trying to be perfect is, I somehow think others expect the same from me.  (OK, as soon as I finish this post, I’ll make a counseling appointment.)

        

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As crazy as this is for you to read as a mom, sometimes our children struggle with this same desire.  They want to please, they want to do what’s right and it can easily become a vice in their lives.

         Today, be on the outlook for your desire to be right and do right and look right.  Look for the same in your children.  Encourage them to embrace THE ONLY perfect God Man, Jesus.  Help them to see their need for a Savior and recognize it is not them.

         As I looked at my friend at the Bible study table, questioning if she was me, I don’t want my children asking the same of me. I don’t want them struggling with perfectionism because they learned it from me.  My prayer strategy must contain my need.  And my perfect solution is HIM!

A Lifetime Parental Resolution

From the words of one of my favorite Bible teachers, Priscilla Shirer!  She has a podcast regarding mothering at:            
                                               http://www.goingbeyond.com/blog

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love     noun    /lev/

an intense feeling of deep affection

a feeling of warm personal attachment, as for a parent or child

Initial thoughts about having children typically conjures up fantasies of cute little clothes, play dates, and quiet, cooing moments in the dim light of their bedrooms. So it can be a harsh reality for mothers to realize that their main priority as parents is not to share laughs and Oreos with their kids but to shepherd them. A parent's job is to lead their children with intentionality, guiding them toward becoming men and women of distinction, filled with integrity, girded with responsibility, and firmly rooted in a love for and honor of God.

With the birth of each of my children, I become more and more aware of the incredible mixture of responsibility and privilege involved in raising these boys. In the midst of long, tiring days and frequently even longer nights, seeing my efforts through the lens of eternal ramifications began to change my perspective. These little men, after all, are my chief way of reproducing God’s image on earth, proliferating the agenda of the Father Himself through little human beings who will hopefully become leaders of their own homes one day.

Our sons and daughters are to be like “arrows…in the hand of a mighty man” (Psalm 127:4 KJV) – sharpened, directed, and sent forth into the world to accomplish the tasks for which they were divinely created. This won't just happen on it's own. It will require the loving, diligence of a mother . . .who has made a resolution.

This week's resolution:

I will demonstrate to my children how to love God with all their hearts, minds, and strength, and will train them to respect authority and live responsibly.

No matter how challenging or how discouraging this resolution may cause you to feel or how many years you think you’ve already wasted, now is a good time to start. Whether you have toddlers or teenagers, your resolution to be the kind of parent who is purposeful and diligent will be worth it.

Every day.

Every month.

Every year.

Speaking God's Word Over Our Kiddos by Priscilla Shirer

Great blog by Priscilla Shirer today and I wanted to share it with you ladies.I totally plan to do this! Enjoy!!
http://www.goingbeyond.com/blog

What or Who is Calling you?

Summer is calling!!

Don’t get me wrong I’m a firm believer in academics, but my heart…not so much! I’m thinking I really fit in the “unschool” category of American mommas.

            I love my babys being home, sleeping in, and eating waffles with sticky kisses that follow.  I love watching them carry a favorite book and sit in their tree houses until they figure out how to dress as the character they are reading about.  I love a peanut butter sandwich on the beach.  As you can see, I’ve got “summer fever” bad.

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            As much as I love summer, I already see endless possibilities of activities for them…and for me!  With as many summers as I have under my belt as a mom, can I share one piece of advice; make a plan for your summer with your children.  

            I am only on the third day of a new Bible study, Gideon by Priscilla Shirer.  She is making a case for Gideon’s call.  Priscilla says one reason she believes God lead her to study Gideon is to remind us of the significance of his unique calling.  As a mom with three young boys, she can certainly relate to the call we have as mothers.

           

In talking about spheres of influence 

Priscilla says…

I’m convinced that God lets me witness their cute, comical lives to give me good material in my teaching.  But without a doubt, outside of my relationship with the Lord and my husband, my sons are my highest priority, and I have been commissioned by God to be their mother.  Being a parent may seem like a commonplace human relationship, but I will not be lulled into downplaying it as ordinary.  My role as a mom is a deliberate strategy initiated by God to rear young boys into godly men.  AND I AM RESOLVED TO FUFILL THIS CALLING- to be for them what God needs me to be during this critical stage in their lives.

         

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Yes Moms, summer is calling, our friends are calling, and our kids are calling.  Don’t miss God’s call!  Don’t miss opportunities for the summer. Be the mom who has a plan and is “unschooled” enough to enjoy the unexpected.

            This is His Summer, enjoy His Call!

Judges 6: 14  The Lord turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hands.  Am I not sending you out?"