Pressing toward the goal (long post)

My devotional for today was "Leaving the Past Behind", with a reading from Philippians 3:12-21. It's not what the author intended, but this turned into another meditation on love. As I read, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus", it seemed to me that the goal and prize was doing what the Father commands and that is to walk in love. I heard a beloved brother in Christ say that if you just studied God's love toward us, in us, and toward others every day you would not be doing yourself a disservice :-) I wholeheartedly agree! All the commandments are summed up in the one great commandment, "love one another". This is my great quest: to know His love for me, to love myself, and to love others.

Soon it will be time to begin our homeschool year. I have been re-evaluating and confirming why I choose to homeschool. Usually I just gather all my catalogs and look for things to order, but not this year. The Holy Spirit has been dealing with me AGAIN that "Wisdom is to be the principal thing in our homeschool, and that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom". When we first began to homeschool so many moons ago, we would have our Bible time together as the main focus and then would come academics. As my oldest moved into high school, with more activities and requirements I panicked and we dropped our group devotional to "get right to those academics". The children still had their own devotionals, but the main reason for homeschooling was lost for me, but not this year. I now have renewed vision! Our mission statement for our learning academy will again be Colossians 1:9 ...(that God would fill our children) with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. ...that they (my children) may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God... and
...This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15:8

Which leads me right back to love...
This is why I should do this. If I don't mother my children in love, teach them in love, and to love, what's the point??!

The following variations on 1 Corinthians 13 will be posted in my home this year :-)

1 Corinthians 13 for Mothers adapted by Jim Fowler
(variations for parents, wives & husbands are here too :-)

If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place,
but have not love,
I am a housekeeper not a homemaker.
If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements,
but have not love,
my children learn cleanliness ­ not godliness.
If I scream at my children for every infraction,
and fault them for every mess they make,
but have not love,
my children become people-pleasers ­ not obedient children.

Love leaves the dust in search of a child's laugh.
Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window.
Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk.
Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys.

Love accepts the fact that I am the ever-present "mommy,"
the taxi-driver to every childhood event,
the counselor when my children fail or are hurt.

Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler, and runs with the child,
then stands aside to let the youth walk into adulthood.

Before I became a mother I took glory in my house of perfection.
Now I glory in God's perfection of my child.
All the projections I had for my house and my children
have faded away into insignificance,
And what remain are the memories of my kids.

Now there abides in my home scratches on most of the furniture,
dishes with missing place settings,
and bedroom walls full of stickers, posters and markings,
But the greatest of all is the Love
that permeates my relationships with my children.

1 Corinthians 13 for Home Schooling Parents (author unknown)
Though I teach with the very best skills,
But do not have love, I am just drawing attention to myself.
And if I have experience, and knowledge of all the best techniques,
and test results proving my effectiveness,
but do not have love, I am wasting my time.
And if I work hard, sacrificing all my money, my time, and my energy,
but do not have love, it adds up to nothing.

The loving teacher is patient with her children, allowing them to
learn according to their God given temperaments and developmental rates.
She is kind, treating her children respectfully.
She does not brag about her accomplishments, and
is not smug about teaching her own children.
She does not try to be like anyone else, but acts appropriately to the way
God has made her.
She is not irritable and pushy and insistent upon making
her children fit into her lesson plans.

The loving teacher is more concerned with promoting truth and
beauty than with criticizing those who don't.
She perseveres in developing her own character, believing that God's ways are best.
The loving teacher is not a quitter. Love never fails.

If there are creative ides, they will be replaced.
If there are great curricula, they will be superseded.
If there are effective techniques, they will be improved.
All that we know now is only a part.
Only later will God reveal education at its best.

When I was a child, I had unrealistic expectations.
As an adult, I know better.
Now abideth faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is LOVE.

A little bit of this...a little bit of that

A little bit of this...

I am learning that being a wife, mom, homemaker etc. does not necessarily mean less devotion time due to family demands, but definitely creative devotion times i.e. praying quietly while feeding a little one or playing praise and worship music and dancing with a babe to begin the day (sure sets the right tone for the day) or tucking a mini Bible in the side pocket of the rocking chair and grabbing a little Word "snack". All these mini times with God add up :-)

a little bit of that...

When dealing with my children it is "the sweetness of the lips that promotes instruction" not nagging and harshness. If "the goodness of God leads to repentance (change)" in me, why should it not be so with my children? Over and over again the Word says in one way or another "be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good." Light overcomes darkness everytime.

and a little more...

I want to speak another language. One daughter is pretty good at Spanish and another with ASL. I'd like to learn both. I came across a post recently on a business networking group site. The Lord told this lady to be "be fluent in love, just be fluent in love." Oooh deep, deep! I'd better set my attention on this language first. "This is my commandment that you love one another... "
It just doesn't get any deeper than that.

Even This?

I have always wanted to be a mommy with lots of kids. I always had lots of dolls that I would play with and take them with me whenever I could. At sixteen, I would sit on the floor at the side of my bed where no one could see me and I would play with my dolls. If my mother came into the room, I would easily tuck those dollies under my bed until she left. ;)

At the time I didn't realize that keeping up with kids and the house would sometimes be like shoveling the driveway in a snowstorm :-) There were days and still are when the house is a mess that I question what I am doing and whether it is "valid" ministry. During one of those times several years ago, I found the following excerpt in my women's Bible. It blew me away then and it still did this morning.....

Even This?

Though early morning is not my best time of day, after a couple of cups of coffee, I managed to fix breakfast, wash the dishes, and usher six children out the door to school before heading for the laundry room.

I stopped abruptly at the door and stood gazing in disbelief at the mountain of dirty clothes. Hadn't I just washed three loads yesterday? Sudden tears of frustration stung my eyes. I quickly brushed them away, a bit ashamed of myself, and put the first load in the washer.

Then I continued to tidy up, picking up the morning newspaper and various cups and glasses left from snacks the night before. Soon I found myself in my son's bathroom, scrubbing the tub. Once again the tears insisted on imposing themselves against my will. This time they found little resistance. I was frustrated and discouraged, and my self-esteem was about as low as it could get.

It was still morning, but I was tired ---- tired of the same mess day after day ---- of washing clothes that only yesterday I had folded and returned to their proper places; of doing the dishes, only to get them out a short time later to reset the table. I was sick of spending hours cooking a meal that was consumed in minutes.

Sitting in the middle of the bathroom floor, sponge and cleanser in hand and tears streaming down my cheeks, I found myself fussing, crying and praying all at the same time.

God in his loving -kindness came to meet me: "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me." (Matthew 25:40).

"Lord, even this?" I asked. "Especially this," He replied. "Who else is going to do it for Me? In all these small ways, you are serving Me."

Lovingly reassured and encouraged, I dried my tears and continued to scrub the tub.

Taken from SINCERELY by Gigi Graham Tchividjian. Copyright 1984 by the Zondervan Corporation