These days it is rare that I am able to finish a book. I love to read, but have very limited reading time. This book however kept me wanting to come back for more! There are many days throughout my motherhood where I feel like nothing has been accomplished. I am a failure as a mother. No progress is being made. Have you ever felt like that?
But mothering isn't a job where you will see immediate results. The subtitle of this book is "10 Ways to Love your Children." The Lord wants me to get my focus off of seeing results and turn it toward loving my children. Titus 2:4 states that younger women are to learn "to love their children" (among other things).
Elizabeth George gives 10 practical, yet intensely spiritual ways to love your children everyday. I'm not going to list all 10 of those ways because I want you to read the book!! I will highlight a few of the major points just to whet your appetite.
- Take time to grow in your own walk with the Lord - Very elementary, I know, but when there is a baby in the house, it is hard to find time to spend with the Lord. Every little moment counts. I may not have an hour to spend each day in God's Word and prayer, but I have little minutes to meditate on His Word. I have small chunks of time here and there to pray. "The prerequisite for teaching your children about God successfully is that you love God completely." (pg 39)
- Talk to your children about God - "Do you want your children to love God? Then simply talk about Him. Why talk about God? Because we talk about what's important to us. And when we don't talk about God, we send a loud message to our children that God really isn't that important." (pg 71)
- Talk to your children about Jesus - "Until you and I wake up every single morning and know without a doubt that 'Today, if I don't get anything else done, I must teach my children about my Lord Jesus,' we are aiming at the wrong target." (pg 89)
- Try your best - This is especially for those days you feel like a failure. Remember what your priorities as a woman and a mom should be.
- Know who you are - My number one goal in life, apart from my own walk with the Lord, should be being "supportive and encouraging to my husband and children." (pg 195)
- Know what it is you do - Have you ever tried to please everyone? What about burning your candle at both ends by taking on extra work, whatever that work may be? I have!! My focus right now and the place where I spend my time and energy (apart from the Lord) must be on my husband and children. Do you know how much tension is relieved when I live this way? When I am trying to be all things to all people, I start snapping at my family or ignoring them in some way. I get frustrated at them because they get in the way of the projects that I am trying to accomplish. God has given me this time with my children. I don't want to miss it!
There is so much more I could mention, but this post is getting too long. You'll just have to read the book!
