Busy vs. Fruitful

I remember a time, not so long ago, that I thrived on adrenaline.  I was once told by my son that I have a work ethic on steroids! While I do enjoy feeling accomplished and seeing the fruits of my labor, I am finding more and more that I want to be more discriminating about how "work" is defined. What it comes down to for me is Am I working on something to be working on something? or Am I going about my work as I am instructed in Scripture, to glorify my Lord and Savior? I think that being wise in our labor requires time to meditate and think about exactly how and why we are doing any particular task. Now, I realize that I don't necessarily need to pray over doing the dishes (some nights I think I should since I am one of the three women in America without a dishwasher!), but even running errands, completing household chores, schooling my son and running my company operate so much better when I am focused on Christ from the start. I am a list maker, which helps me keep an overloaded brain on the right track, but even my list works better if I examine it before I begin and discern whether I am spending my time in a way that is pleasing to God.

I used to feel guilty if I took time to read (something I love) or sat around talking with my son. I could seriously feel the time ticking by and I would think of all of the things on my list that weren't getting done. Well, as I have sent one child off to college and only have one more at home, I have come to realize that the toilet can be cleaned a day later but my relationship with my son requires "now" time. John Paul told me recently that while this no longer occurs and hasn't in the past few years, that there was a time that he would avoid me if I was working and he was not. He said that he knew if I was working on something and he wasn't, I would put him to work! Now, a solid work ethic is a beauty to behold in my eyes, but having your child afraid of approaching you because you won't take a minute to stop and share that moment with him is not something any mom ever wants to hear. I am glad to know that he no longer feels that way and I no longer act that way.

Time doesn't stop because we behave foolishly and we certainly can't get that time back. So, for today, I will try to do as God pleases and follow His lead. If my list is part of His agenda, so be it. If not, it will still be there tomorrow.

God is good. He grows and refines us. I don't like to see my faults but I love that even through them, He loves me and He uses even my weaknesses to draw me nearer to Him.

May your list today include precious time with family and friends, a phone call that needed to be made, a relationship restored, a random act of kindness or a well timed note of encouragement. Bless you as you go about blessing others!

In Him,

Note: Did you know that Abraham Lincoln wrote poetry? Intrigued? Check out my Epi Kardia blog about using primary source materials when teaching. Even if you're not a teacher, you might enjoy it if you like history.

A Helpful Educational Resource

For those of you who homeschool or work with your children at home on school assignments and haven't yet checked out my blog on my curriculum company's website: epikardia.com, you might want to look at this week's topic. It's a review of a fun program that can really assist moms with creating copy work pages and worksheets, design books and more with their children! We have really enjoyed using it and I wanted to share it with all of my friends who are moms and/or teachers!


Have a blessed day! 

The Quiet

I love the peacefulness of my home today. My son is sitting on the couch next to me working on school. He likes to tap, drum, etc as he works...he says it helps him think. But today, even he is quiet. Hope he's thinking!  My husband, Darrell, had some errands to run and other than my keyboard clicking, there's not much noise. We live next to Darrell's family and a few minutes ago, I heard Aunt Edna calling out to someone. My dog barked once about a half hour ago...probably some small sound noise disturbed his sleep. Occasionally a car goes by. But really, it's just peaceful. Praise God for peace. Praise Him for the times when my mind isn't racing with the million item list and my phone isn't ringing demandingly. Praise Him for the fact that televisions have an "off" button and children sometimes slow down long enough to enjoy the peace with you! Praise God for sending the Prince of Peace, our Lord and Savior. May your day be filled with the peace and beauty of Christ. 

You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

Acts 10:36

Love, Obedience and our Heart's Desire

I was chatting with another mom today about Charlotte Mason's teachings. This other mom made a comment about the habit of obedience. While I agree that the habit of obedience is a wonderful immediate blessing, at the same time, obeying out of love rather than habit seems so much more significant to me. I thought of a friend who has the most polite children, they never forget to say "Yes, ma'am", but it has become such a habit for them, I wonder if it still retains any meaning of respect. They sound so rote at times. Some would say that it's awesome that they're always outwardly respectful and that is great. But I am much more concerned about the heart of my children, to be honest.

This brought to mind being taught that we show God we love Him by obeying Him. I was reminded of a verse in 2 John (if you know me very long, you will learn that John is my favorite disciple!): And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. When we can get our children, and ourselves for that matter, to toss aside the worldly conditional definition of love and embrace true Biblical love, found through obedience to our Father, then they and we will find our heart's desire. I pray that over anyone who reads this blog...that you will discover that love in Christ, for Him and for one another!

Spiritual Pictures

Recently, I have become attached to photos. I think I am just extremely content in my life for the first time in a long time and I don't want to forget what that contentment looks like. For example, the photo that is in the heading on my blog is valued by me for a couple of reasons: 1. my son, John Paul, took the photo and 2. it's a photo from my backyard dock. The flower right above this post is one of the first photos taken by my husband, Darrell, with a new camera. I love all of the aspects of that flower...the vibrant color, the way it's so up close and the fact that it was growing in my front yard. Look to the right and you'll find a photo of my son with our dog. Again, the simple joys of a life of peace. God is so good!


So as I was discovering my desire to document my life, I began to think about spiritual pictures. If God were taking photos of my life, what would He see? I immediately think of those photos I would never want to be shown...times when I'm angry or when I say something thoughtless. But it goes deeper than that. God knows my heart. 

God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.

Acts 15:8

What pictures are revealed to God in my heart? My joys and triumphs over sin, my sorrow and pain of letting Him and those I love down at times. God sees all of the pictures of my life and as I write this I realize that I want to be very careful about the pictures I produce for Him. I want to be that woman who treasures God's opinion above all others.