Are you a "JOYFUL Mother of children"?

I recently came across this verse again from Psalm 113:9:

He makes the barren woman abide in the house As a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord!

It got me thinking about the phrase "joyful mother."  What a wonderful thing!  Doesn't it just make you think of a happy housewife running around her home with a smile and smiling children all around... a clean kitchen... no toys on the floor... and the aroma of fresh baked delicacies?  I admit, that's my first thought.  But when I think more about it...of course, that's not reality.  Maybe in "Leave it to Beaver," but not in the real world.

Putting that verse in the real world...my real world, I totally understand what it means and what God is trying to show us.

God has not created the institute of family and motherhood to be full of anxiety, frustration, burdens and shackles.  He created us to be a JOYFUL mother of children!!  (And if any dads are reading this too, just insert "Joyful father of children!")

What exactly does it mean to be "joyful?"  It's not jumping up and down with excitement and having feelings of ecstasy all day long.  Cause, let's face it, last week when TWELVE of us got stomach bug (and let me remind you that there are only 13 stomachs residing in our whole house and one of them is my pet fish named George--and even HE looked queasy last week) I wasn't feeling like jumping up and down cause I loved motherhood so much.  😳   

To me, being joyful as a mother is being content and having a peace in my heart that I am exactly where I need to be, doing the most important job in the universe: caring and loving children that God has given me as gifts.  It is KNOWING who you are as a mother... that your job matters... that you are changing lives and making a difference in the world as you raise future leaders and world-changers who will go out and bless and impact the world for Christ. 

That, ladies, is our job description as mothers.  Pretty cool huh?

Our culture will tell you that "just staying home" is not impressive at all. That you are "just a housewife."  Isn't that sad?  I have to remind you that our culture does not value what God values.  And if you are a working mom, don't let them tell you that that job is more important than being a mom to your children. Some women need to work, but don't believe for one minute that your mom job is not as important.  It is one billion times more important!!!  Nobody can love and be a joyful mother to YOUR children the way you can.  There is no substitute!!!

So, if your first thought of motherhood is just feeling overwhelmed with laundry, cooking, snotty noses, crying and tantrums (you and the kids), spit up on your clothes and dirty diapers, then I encourage you to view motherhood through God's eyes. The Bible is TRUTH, and anything else you might feel or believe different are lies... so listen to the voice of truth! (You'll be glad you did.)
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit.  It can only come from God.  Sure you might feel moments of being happy without God, but you won't know true JOY unless the Holy Spirit of God lives in you.   So that is the first step.

2 Peter 1:3 tells us that God has given us EVERYTHING we need to live a godly life.   A godly life includes joy!!!  So if you are mothering in your own strength, barely surviving....trying your best to put on a fake smile and not yell... it won't work.  At least not for long.  You need to by faith, read what the Bible says about motherhood, children and joy and begin to walk in it with the joy of the Lord as your strength... not coffee... or "me" time... or escaping to social media...

You, my friend, can find amazing joy in the midst of dishes, laundry, crying, and cooking because of WHO lives in you and is helping you to do everything that He has called you to do.  With Him, you CAN be a joyful mother of children!!!!

I truly LOVE my job.   I gave up a pretty good paycheck and career 23 years ago for my current job.  I admit, at first it was a VERY hard adjustment for me.  But God has taught me what a privilege and honor it is to do the job He has given me to do--caring and raising and loving 10 beautiful souls for His glory!!   I can't imagine a job that would bring me more joy and contentment.

If you would like that in your life, whether you are a stay at home mom or a working mom, pray and ask God to give you a vision for how He views children and motherhood. When you catch a glimpse that the King of Kings thinks that your job is super important and that you are the absolutely most qualified person for the job of raising your kids, you will have to smile at the prestigious position you have been given.

It won't always be fun.  It won't (for sure!) be easy. But it will make an impact for eternity and affect generations to come.  I give you permission to tell culture to take a hike.  YOU can be a JOYFUL mother of your children.  You can smile and enjoy your kids. You can LOVE being a mom even if at the moment you don't like the current task at hand.  You can have that inward contentment and peace in your heart that only God can give... so go on!

Be JOYFUL!!!!!!

"I'm Bored" is a bad word

It has literally been over 15 years since I remember hearing, "I'm bored!" It was in one of my oldest kids, and I had a talk with them all about how selfish and prideful it is to say that they were bored. I explained that when they say, "I'm bored," they are being prideful and complaining, and the Bible has a lot to say about both of those. There is never a reason to be bored. There is always someone to bless or serve. There is always something that you can contribute towards the family workload. There is always someone that would be blessed by an email or letter. There is always a smaller sibling that would love to have a book read to them or a game played with them. There is always a dog that would love to have a ball thrown for them to retrieve. 

If your kids (or you) are in the habit of saying those "bad words," then read what the Bible has to say about work, selfishness, being a servant, or doing things without complaining:

Philippians 2:14,"Do all things without complaining,"

Prov. 19:15, "Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger."

Eccles. 9:10, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might"

Col. 3:23, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,"

Prov. 13:4, "The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.'

Gal. 5:13,"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."

1 Corinth 10:24," Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor." 

I'm thankful that I don't hear this phrase. I think it was helpful to teach my older kids why we don't say that so my younger kids have not heard it or seen selfish boredom modeled. This requires training though. You need to teach your kids that they don't always have to be entertained by movies, screens or fun activities. They can think of productive things to do on their own because you have explained and taught them a lot of fun things to do in their free time. Blessing others. Crafts. Hiking and enjoying nature. Asking a parent or sibling, "How can I help you?" Writing letters. Learning a hobby. Selling on ebay. Being okay with times of prayer and quiet time just hearing from God themselves.


Even a 4 year old can see needs. In this picture my then 4 year old asked on her own to fill up our water filter. She took great pride in that job!!

But as always we need to model what it looks like to "do all things without complaining." and to show them how to joyfully do mundane chores with the right attitude.

People always say that they wish that children came with an instruction manual. They, do, my friend! Everything you need for life and godly parenting is in the Bible!!! God is awesome!!!!

Siblings: Best Friends!!!

I'm reading 2 Timothy this week, and a verse came up that we have taught our kids: "A servant of the Lord must not argue but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient..." (V24)

I'm often asked by people, after finding out we have a small army of children, if our children get along or if they fight all the time. That is usually followed with them telling me that they hated their siblings growing up or that their own children argue all the time and don't like each other.

I thought I'd address this question. Our children for the most part are best friends. They don't fight. They occasionally disagree and work it out. They occasionally push each other's buttons (especially the younger boys), but at the end of the day, they love being together and are very thankful for each other. Society will tell you that brothers and sisters are supposed to bicker and not like each other. I just wanted to throw in the truth, cause parents have been lied to. Truth comes from God's Word and it tells Christians that we should not argue, but die to ourselves and love others more than we love ourselves. It tells us to be gentle and patient. self controlled, and loving. It tells us in the previous verse to "avoid foolish disputes."

What better training ground for life than in your own home with your own brothers and sisters learning to have a servant's heart, to love, to learn to not argue, to be gentle and patient? What better place to practice the fruit of the Spirit (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Self Control, Meekness, Faithfulness)?

So don't buy into the lie. Don't allow your kids to foster anger and hatred towards each other. Start young and don't let them be ugly or selfish with each other. Stop nasty tones in their voice and teach them to be sweet to each other. Remind them that they are a gift to each other and are best friends. God's ways work. You can have a home filled with peace. But 3 things are required: 1. You have to believe that God's Word is truth. 2. You have to teach the truth to your kids. 3. You have to model this yourself to your spouse and children.

If you can't live your Christianity at home, then it's not real.

   

...

ADD is just another way to spell BOYS!!!

I recently read this article entitled School ADD Isn’t Homeschool ADD .   I loved the article and wanted to share it and comment on it for other parents who find themselves a parent to.....a BOY!!! 

I've talked to 2 moms lately who have "ADD Kids" are are frustrated. Please read this article. From experience with my 5 sons, let me just say that almost all boys fit the description of "ADD." Even my oldest son, who was reading at 3, fit the description we read in a medical journal when he was a preschooler. We just laughed because the article was describing, well, BOYS! We are thankful we homeschooled our house full of boys (and girls), because a little boy is just not meant to sit at a desk all day long. They need to be jumping and wiggling and dancing and making noise. That doesn't work in a classroom.
My 2nd son just wasn't catching on to reading at 5. The more I made him sit still, the more he got frustrated with sounding out 3 letter words. I finally caught on and let him do his phonics by jumping off the couch onto a huge bean bag every time he got a word right. Within the week he was reading his little Bob Books!!!! He learns best with noise and music still at 18. My 2 oldest "ADD kids" scored 35 and 31 on their ACT tests. I hate to think what label or medication they might have been put on in a different environment. Set the little boys free from desks!!!!!