to my littles {day two}

I feel like a complete failure as a mommy today.  With a sick Little #3, a sick Husband, and two other Littles who need my attention as well, I’m feeling a little stretched today.  The laundry isn’t done, there are dishes in the sink, my bed is still unmade (gasp!), and I’m seriously caffiene-deficient.  When I sat down to write this post, I had no idea what I was going to say.  Today my focus is on being intentional as a mother and yet I feel like I’m so far from the “perfect” mother that it’s laughable to think I might have ANYTHING to say on the subject.  Then it hit me…..God doesn’t expect perfection ~ he expects my best.  And as I type those words, I take a deep breath…..preparing myself for what I’m about to learn.

The one thing that came to me as I prayed about this topic was this……”Do you think the Lord ever gets frustrated with us, His children, when we disobey Him, ignore his teaching, or ask the same question for the one hundred and forty-seventh time??”  And the answer came to me…..softly.

“No”

You see, we are all God’s children and he loves us regardless of how many times we behave in “frustrating” ways.  God never feels the urge to pound his (or our) head against a wall and scream out “WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME?”  He is patient and loving and forgiving.  All of the things that I strive to be, and all too often fail.

Over the past 10 years, I’ve read countless books on how to be a good parent.  And I’ve come to one very solid conclusion.  Parenting is hard work and my way is not the only way.  That was super hard for me to admit, by the way.  But there’s only one true source for parenting wisdom.

The Holy Bible.

When I gave birth to my first child ten years ago, I was terrified and hopeful (along with about 17 other emotions) all at once.  I had no idea what I was doing…..and it showed.  But, slowly I got the hang of it.  And now, two additional kiddos later, I feel much more confident in myself as a mommy.  Please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying here, I still make plenty of mistakes.  But I finally know where to get my “mommy wisdom” from.

The Bible offers numerous scriptures on parenting…..but a few that I cling to daily are:

Proverbs 3:5-6             Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.  NLT

Proverbs 23:13-14       Don’t fail to discipline your children.  They won’t die if you spank them.  Physical discipline may well save them from death.  NLT

Philippians 2:13                       …for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.  NIV

I know that I will never be a perfect parent.  But I believe that if I intentionally demonstrate to my kids each and every day that I love them unconditionally, no matter how many times I have to correct them and/or forgive them, I will be successful as a parent.  I “trust in the Lord with all my heart” to guide me in raising my littles.  And in our home, we believe that discipline is an integral part of raising children.  The Bible clearly tells us that if we don’t discipline our children, we can’t honestly say that we love them.

It never ceases to amaze me that no matter how many days like today come along, my love for them never waivers.  We just go to bed and try again tomorrow.  And no matter what, my children always know that I love them.  That’s what truly matters to me.

So, to my three beautiful littles, I promise to hug you and kiss you every day that we are blessed to spend together.  And I promise to always be a willing listener when you need to talk.  I promise to guide you and teach you, and yes, I promise to discipline you when you’ve stepped out of the will of God.  I promise to do my best to protect you from the evils of this world and to help you to seek the will of God in your own life.  You will always have my heart.

Love, Your Mommy