Thursday, April 11, 2013

Random Thoughts on Faith



Spring has FINALLY sprung, so that means life is getting busy

Working 4 nights a week, T-Ball is starting next week, so that means practice one night a week and games every Saturday, combine that with all the minutiae of being a sahm (moms, you know what I'm talking about, never-ending laundry, dishes, cooking, organizing clutter, refereeing fights, etc, etc) and it can get overwhelming.  I know I am not half as busy as some people I know (my sister comes to mind), but I feel like I have been hibernating all winter and just now waking up, trying to get everything done and organized and scheduled...and it makes me just want to curl up and ignore it all, my brain is full...

And then, I log on to FB (my connection to the outside world) and I am hit with all this MSNBC nonsense and I add "worrying about the spiritual state of my kids" to the long list in my head.

 I don't know about you, but when I feel overwhelmed or worried or whatever, all I see in my head is a picture of my Bible, knowing that's where I need to run to. And I will always be the first to admit that I let it slip to the bottom of my priority list. Sure, I log on to my little Bible study group and post the verses of the day, but do I read them? Not always.

Until today, the pressure in my head saying "Bible, Bible, Bible" was just so loud, I had to put down everything I was doing and go pick it up.

Then, J walks in the room and asks me to do something for him. I said, "Sure, just let me finish reading my Bible first"

And what does he do?

He runs in his room, grabs  his children's Bibles, curls up in my bed and "reads" it.

I usually tend to do my devotions when the kids are in bed or busy doing something. I have read articles and whatnot that say how important it is that your kids see you reading your Bible and all that, but I never gave much thought to it, until now.

No, MSNBC, my children do NOT belong to the community, they belong to me and my husband. If kids belonged to the collective, they would just pop up out of the ground like on "Mars Needs Moms". We are the only ones responsible for them. I can not get lazy and rely on Sunday School alone to teach my children about faith and Jesus and Love. I even went so far as to look into a local Christian school (something that will never be feasible for us unless we pull a second mortgage on the house).

But, J seeing me reading my Bible today and running to get his, reminds me that my husband and I are the biggest influence in their lives. They watch and see everything we do (especially J, NOTHING gets by that kid).

I HAVE to make my spiritual walk with Christ my very first priority every single day so I can show my children that there is a better way. Not only does it show my kids that it's important, but it gives me the patience to get through the day. The constant "poopyhead!" talk coming out of the playroom would drive even the most calm person a little mad.

I am completely rambling now, and my thoughts are getting jumbled, but I just wanted to write it all down, to remind myself that when life gets busy, and your head gets foggy, the only way to clear the fog is with the burning Light of the Word, and it will light you up and I can only pray that my children will see that light and follow it.