Yesterday Wes and I had the privilege of being interviewed by a church friend for a project she is working on to create a parenting course for our community called Intentional Parenting. We were honored to be asked to be interviewed. She told us she sees good things in our kids and family and wanted to learn more about our parenting. What a blessing! We were very humbled and excited for the opportunity. It was so fun to reflect on our past 28 years of marriage and parenting and also be asked thoughtful questions. I couldn't help but have tears in my eyes as I thought of all the ways we have relied on God over and over through trials and triumphs and how many times God showed up in our lives. I'm so grateful and more in love with Wes and my sweet family than ever before. I also realized that I wanted to recommit to being a more "intentional parent" and started my quiet time this morning asking God to show me what that should look like.
What he showed me is that even though he has given me a lot more time now than I have ever had before since I was laid off from Inspire last Fall, I have not been using the extra time wisely. I have instead been unwise with my time wasting it with unproductive/unintentional things and I realized we are also in a rut with our daily activities. Do you know what I mean? Can you relate? For example, we just do the same thing day in and day out. I have so enjoyed being home more and spending more time with my family, but we have kind of become like robots and I feel like we need to be more intentional with how we spend our time. I long to be more focused on teaching, training, and taking advantage of teachable moments to teach Biblical truths to my family.
Here are some of the positive routines that are going well, but could be deepened:
- Daily Quiet time with the Lord - family share about what the Lord is showing us
- Finishing school subjects daily - add in read aloud time together
- Meal times together - add in devo time and share time
Some things I want to add to get out of our rut:
- Weekly dates with each child and grandchild
- Weekly FaceTime with grandparents and children/grandchild who lives out of town
- Add in "Life Skills" (see below) training time with each child/children
- Add in Character lessons with children - do this during devo and read aloud time
- Family walks after dinner or pool time.
- Family game night and outdoor movie night
Life Skills Projects to do with kids:
- Cooking new healthy meals together - breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Remodel of children's play house in backyard
- Finish barn loft to create extra sleeping area/Recreation Room
- Build backyard garden area and plant flowers/grass
- Build backyard deck
- Paint kitchen and laundry cabinets
I've prayed for a long time that God would give my husband and I a ministry to do together thinking we could do mission trips or have a family ministry..But, you know what? The Lord told me this morning "Look around you...I've already given you a ministry! Your family!" I was so humbled. Of course I knew this, but this is exactly what He wants me to focus on now in this season! I was thinking bigger and something outside of our family unit, but in this season the ministry God wants us to focus and build into is right in front of us. I've realized in this season that I'm in where God has me being STILL a lot that I've so often taken my family for granted. I've put off pouring into our children's lives and replaced that time I could have been spending teaching and training with work priorities, phone calls, email, the Internet, social media, or whatever. Those things are not bad (although sometimes they can be if they take all your time), they are usually just neutral. But, God is teaching me over and over that the TIME we have on this earth is soooo short and goes so quickly. I have to be diligent to be directed by God and realize the blessings he has given me and what is right in front of me. I have to ask him daily what he wants me to do with my time.
Besides loving my children and recommitting my time to my family, the Lord is teaching me something else from Titus 2:3-5...to love my husband and what exactly that looks like. I will share next time what I'm learning.
TODAY's CHALLENGE: I want to challenge you to write down some ways you can show love to your children today, this week, month, etc. Make a list of what is working and another list of what you want to add to show love. Pray over your children and ask the Lord to show you exactly what is needed for each of them. Summer is the perfect time to start some new habits. Take it one step further and ask a friend to keep you accountable to your list. Will you keep me accountable? Let's check in periodically to see how it's going. Feel free to comment below what you want to add.
