Philippians 4:4-9
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Being Deliberate

Thanks to a couple of blogs that I read, I was motivated to think about "how 'deliberate' is my parenting?"

It was a question I needed to ponder. It is a question I would have thought crazy to even think about with the older kids.

I was deliberate with the older set, especially when they were younger. I guess as they got older and more independent I just lost the intentional hands-on, because they need you to step away little-by-little as they test out their Independence.
Then Hannah and Caleb came into our lives and things got so crazy with the integration into the family. And the older kids were still moving fast into their independent lives, which is good, I want to raise adults!

Sometimes we were moving so fast as a family it is hard to stop and think about where you are going.

Well this is where I found myself when I came across the 'deliberate parenting' phrase on more than one blog. Maybe God was trying to catch my eye-you think?
What a blessing this time of reflection has been for me, to reset me on the path with my younger children. To tell the truth, parenting has been much more fun in recent months! Being deliberate and present in body, mind and spirit is not only engaging for the little ones, but rewarding and peaceful for me. The struggle of being a mom to adult children and young children is being put aside and peace is being found in all quarters.

As I was reading Psalm 3 this morning, I found verse 3 and 4 going round and round my head, in fact they have blessed me all day!

"But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the Lord with my voice, And He answered me from His holy mountain."

My cry to the Lord has been for a more peaceful and restful home. Amazing how life is still flying by at an amazingly fast and furious pace, but I am finding peace in the midst of the busyness. I am finding joy in parenting such a wide age range. And I KNOW that this is NOT in my strength! He is my Shield, my Glory, and the Lifter of my head!
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