Sometimes, I’m overwhelmed by all there is for me to do in a day.
Scratch that. Every day, I’m overwhelmed by all there is for me to do.
Between laundry and Latin, math and mopping, grammar and garbage, sometimes it ALL seems like one great big pile. And I say to myself, “There’s no way I can do this!” Throw a few ideals in about how I ought to read to my children for an hour and a half every day, make cookies every afternoon, play beautiful music for them to listen to, and prepare them to change the world, and I can start feeling like I should probably just give up and go back to bed.
You know why? Because that’s not the life I grew up living. I didn’t live in a home like the one I’m trying to create.
My pastor said something last night in a meeting that I’d never considered before: When God called Moses, he had no example before him of what he was being called to do. He couldn’t google it (Hmmm, “national deliverer …”) or go read a book about it (he hadn’t written those books yet.) There was no paradigm for his calling, no one he could call and ask about how to do it.
We’re blessed that we aren’t in his shoes today. Being an intentional mom is a huge undertaking; a great venture with far-reaching implications for our families, churches and nations. Many of us (most of us, if my own informal polling and that of others is any indication) didn’t grow up in a home we’d describe as “life-giving.” Yet, the examples *are* out there! You can google it, go to the library and read about it, go to church and hear about it. It may not come naturally, but you sure can find out how to do it!
But maybe that’s what intentionality is all about, anyway. Intentionality means setting our minds to do something we don’t automatically do. It means that we pay attention and work at it. It means we walk in our homes in the supernatural, not just the natural. It means we think before we speak or react, pray before we discipline, ponder before we make an educational choice.
It takes hard work. But that’s okay. We have help.
If you’re looking for encouragement as you live life as mom, I highly recommend all of Sally Clarkson’s books (you can find them here: WholeHeart Online Bookstore) as well as her blog, I Take Joy. Nancy Campbell of Far Above Rubies has some very encouraging newsletters, magazines and Bible studies. The book, The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer is a great resource and talks about how so many things women love to do and think they need to go *outside* of their homes to do can *and should* actually be made part of the fabric of our daily lives inside our walls. Many of my friends write for moms specifically; Kristen Kill’s blog, Hope With Feathers is full of encouragement, Joy Forney’s GraceFull Mama is beautiful, and there are more listed to the right here (so many sweet ladies sharing their lives!) And of course I hope you’ll always be able to find something of encouragement here.
So, sweet friend, what is your biggest obstacle to intentional, godly mothering? How can you overcome it?
(P.S. If you don’t have a friend walking with you along the road toward intentional, godly mothering, consider making one! Grab a book and ask her over for tea or coffee or Coke or organic water or whatever floats your boat and read something and pray together! You can do it!!!)
