Today I had another parent give me a really high compliment, and she didn’t even realize it. She said her child told her she likes to be at our home because nobody here is in a hurry. She felt the calm here.
It took a second, then I realized that this is exactly the atmosphere I’ve been working so hard to cultivate in our home. Living life at a pace where my kids can actually think, consider, ponder, create, discover, etc.
I was so excited.
Then it hit me…for a while I’ve been wondering if I’m lazy or if I am doing good raising my kids in an intentionally peaceful environment. Today I realized that I’ve been feeling like I’m not doing enough, when the reason I have the space to ponder this is because I have created exactly what I desired.
Staying steady is so foreign to us that it can feel mundane. It can feel wrong. It can feel absent of something.
But it’s exactly what we need if we want to have kids that think.
Tonight, while I was processing all of this God showed me that my job as a mom is “simpler” than I realized…I saw myself as a shepherd. A shepherd takes the sheep to a field. Then the shepherd simply watches over the sheep while they graze, etc.
All this time that I’ve been wondering if I’m missing something, it’s been because these are my years in the field. Like David, I’m in the field alone, watching over my flock. Spending time with God. Growing and maturing. Learning to fight the lion and bear. This is the best time.
I am so grateful.
Being a mom is the BEST. Running our household so my husband can go and provide for us, is an honor.
This is what I was made to do.
I encourage you to stop. Stop running through life and take a breath. First feel your own body calm down as you breathe deeply and center your spirit on Holy Spirit. Ask God to bring steadiness and calmness to your life. Then do the things He directs you to do, and nothing else. Stop trying to fill your time with busyness. Allow for the slowness of time. Stare at the sky. Sit and listen to the birds and crickets. These are they types of things that make me feel alive. These things make me feel settled inside.
Don’t be afraid to do what little you have to do…exceptionally well.
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. Proverbs 3:3-7
365 Days in the Presence 