What Kind of Kids am I Raising?

I don't know the answer to that question- only God knows. I do know what kind of kids I would like to raise though. I would like W and D to be like Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego. I was wondering what their moms must have been like. Since the book of Daniel takes place when the land of Judah was in exile, their moms must have been challenged to go against the idolatrous culture of that era in raising their sons to believe in God and follow him. Somehow in a country where compromise was the standard, these 4 young men decided to stand strong. Maybe it was parenting. Maybe it was personal choice. Mostly I am sure it was God who got a hold of them and wouldn't let go. Somehow a deep rooted love for God was planted in their hearts and became a standard from which they made all their decisions. They chose to do right when others chose to compromise. They chose to pray not only when it was convenient but also when praying to God could mean death. They chose to speak the truth to kings even when it would have been easier to just tell the king what he wanted to hear. They were committed and determined. Their lives were not easy but God did bless them. He rescued them from the fiery furnace and the lions. He gave them the opportunity to glorify him in an unknown land. He allowed them to be respected and a part of the government where they were in exile.

As I train my children, I pray that God will plant his love deeply in their hearts. I pray they will be steadfast and committed to the path that God has for them. I pray they will be a shining light in a dark world. I pray that God will use them to influence nations for Him. I pray that they will be like Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego. I also pray that when I get distracted by all the things around me that I will remember the awesome task God has for me of loving and training these precious two children. May I never cease to lift them up before the Father. May God help me to be the mom I need to be to raise them to be a Daniel or one of his friends.

Walking to School

The past few weeks I have found myself for one reason or another walking back and forth to the kid's school. It is about a 20 minute walk each way. Sometimes I am with the children and sometimes by myself. The walk gives me time to think but also time to keep up with a New Years resolution of mine- to memorize more scripture. In this post I mentioned that I was memorizing Titus 3. I meant to keep up with it and did until about verse 8 or so and then just stopped. This time I decided to give myself a new start and am working on Colossians chapter 3. The almost daily review walking to and from the school has been a blessing. I put the verses on notecards that I can easily carry and put in my purse and glance at them as needed. As I memorize the verses, I am noticing details I would have never noticed just reading. Why did they put in the therefore? How is each item in the list different? The little things. I also find that the verses become prayers as I pray to set my heart and mind on things above. I sometimes pray the verse for myself, my family or whoever God lays on my heart. Hopefully I will still remember these verses a year from now but even if I do not the benefits of this time have been worth it.

On a similar note, when the kids are with me on their way to school, we use this time to talk about the upcoming day and practice their verses for the week. Big D has been learning Deut. 6: 5-9. As he was quoting the part about talking about God's word as you walk along that way, I smiled knowing that I will treasure these moments. Hopefully we have developed a habit that will continue.

Dear God, Thank you for your word and that it is alive and active and sharper than any two edged sword. May your word show us your path. May we hid your word in our hearts so that we may not sin against you. Amen

October Quotes

Somehow I ended up with quotes from two Thomas but on two different topics.

From Thomas Merton:
"We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being. As a result, men are valued not for what they do or what they have but for their usefulness."

From Thomas Nelson:
"Christians don't pray for the same reason our children don't eat vegetables because they are immature and full of gummy bears."

Dear God, I want to be not just do. Help me to have the time and imagination to do that. Help me to have the desire to pray more. I need to be on my knees before you daily seeking your face and your will. Amen