It’s a well known fact among those who know me best that I love to sleep in. I’m a night owl by nature, so early morning schedules have always been tough for me to embrace. But I’m also a mom, and that means I’m the one who gets all the little people in our house moving in the right direction every morning.
As much as I love to sleep in, I absolutely hate rushing around in the morning, trying to get people up, dressed, fed and still manage to gulp down a cup of coffee before getting into my car. Have you noticed that YOU, mom, set the tone for the morning? If you’re crabby, everyone else picks up on it and the black cloud of your mood causes the others in the house to become less than pleasant. It’s a lot of pressure knowing that the peace and joy of our family can sometimes rest on our shoulders.
God, through His Word, reminds us that He considers our job as moms a pretty important one! He also commands certain things of us. Here is a great collection of Bible verses for moms about what we moms are to be for our children, found in Got Questions.org.
Availability–morning, noon and night (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
Involvement – interacting, discussing, thinking, and processing life together (Ephesians 6:4)
Teaching – the Scriptures and a biblical worldview (Psalm 78:5-6; Deuteronomy 4:10; Ephesians 6:4)
Training – helping a child to develop skills and discover his/her strengths (Proverbs 22:6) and spiritual gifts (Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 12)
Discipline – teaching the fear of the Lord, drawing the line consistently, lovingly, firmly (Ephesians 6:4; Hebrews 12:5-11; Proverbs 13:24; 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15-17)
Nurture – providing an environment of constant verbal support, freedom to fail, acceptance, affection, unconditional love (Titus 2:4; 2 Timothy 1:7; Ephesians 4:29-32; 5:1-2; Galatians 5:22; 1 Peter 3:8-9)
Modeling with Integrity – living what you say, being a model from which a child can learn by “catching” the essence of godly living (Deuteronomy 4:9, 15, 23; Proverbs 10:9; 11:3; Psalm 37:18, 37).
Add that to the desire to be more like the Proverbs 31 woman, and it can be pretty daunting! How do we accomplish all of what God’s required of us?
First, I have found it takes time management skills. I’m not naturally proficient at this, so I have made myself go to bed fairly early and get up about an hour before the rest of the household. For me this hasn’t been easy, but I love the results! I’ve set my coffee pot to come on ten minutes before my alarm wakes me up, so I can walk straight into the kitchen and grab my much needed cup of liquid ambition! After a few minutes of sitting in the calm quietness of the house–still mostly dark, I turn on the lamp and read one of my devotionals. I find that this little bit of time in God’s Word really sets my day on the right path! There is no doubt that since I’ve started doing this, my peace and joy levels have greatly increased… and it’s something I KNOW I pass on to my kids, when I wake them up in the morning. Plus, my kids are witnessing how important my time alone with God is to me, and how it helps me stay on track throughout the day.
We moms have to carve out the necessary quiet time with God, everyday. For you it may mean right before you go to sleep. Maybe it’s mid-day, when the laundry is done and the kids are at school, or maybe it’s between math and reading lessons at your home school table. Whatever time of day works for you, this is a little gift to yourself that will also bless your family.
Whoever said, “A happy mom means a happy home”, was definitely on to something. Nothing can fill our hearts with joy like getting into the Word of God! In that joy you will find a peace that only God can give!
As a parent, how do you find time to get into Scripture? Do your kids see that you place importance on this time?
About the Author: Lisa Strnad is a weekly contributing writer to What’s in the Bible? and Jelly Telly. She works freelance in Christian Media, specializing in writing, promotions and marketing. Lisa lives with her husband and their two sons in Nashville, TN. Follow her personal blog: www.talkinglikeagirl.blogspot.com
