I bet, as you are reading this, the idea of being home and “safe” is becoming a little questionable!!!!! Some are tempted to believe the virus is not nearly as bad as the children that are so ready to get out of the house!! I do hope you know I am kidding and am not making light of the virus in any way, however, times might really be getting tough at home for some! Everyone is so ready to get out of the house!!! Wait….Trust….Obey……. That is what I am clinging to in these days!!
Am I the only one seeing all these pics and tempted to think that we are the only family that is not out walking enough and not exercising enough and getting a little cranky about being home? Especially those with teens? Can I get an amen??!!?!??!?!?!? Well, you are not alone. I promise. I will say we have managed to get into a pretty decent routine at my house, and have really enjoyed our time at home together, but the reality of the necessity of being home and the importance that lies therein is not so easy to swallow. I give God big praises for extra time together in His Word and with Him in prayer during this time. Such nice refocusing time, for sure!
Do you wish you had a dime for every time you had heard the “what’s for lunch/dinner” question? Yes, it is common at my house as well. Don’t be discouraged. All too quickly, those questions will not be as often and we will miss this time of being still. I do pray that our “new norm” keeps some of the new routines that families have been able to establish during this time.
God Knows What You Need
I was just reading in one of those “time to read” books called “21 Ways to Connect with your Kids”. I know now why I had not read it before now. God knew I was going to need it this week. In this exact day. The first two chapters are spent explaining how we moms who think everyone else has it so right and we have it so wrong, are absolutely normal. Satan fills our minds with all the ways that we are not enough, not organized enough, not smart enough to teach them, and these things being weak spots for so many, he comes right in and destroys our confidence in being parents. Please do not let him in to destroy you in such a way. Do not let him rob you of this precious time of parenting!
God Doesn’t Make Mistakes
Here is the thing – God does not make mistakes. He puts the right child with the right parents and the right parents with the right child. So do not doubt His work in what you are capable of being or doing for your children. Seek Him and His direction and His wisdom to raise disciples that love Him. Yes, we sometimes yell when we should not and yes, we sometimes fail at special moments that we have planned and visioned so perfectly in our minds for a while, but truth is, our children will not remember all the things we had planned that did not go as we had envisioned, but they will remember that we took time to spend with them.
Making Memories to Last a Lifetime
You see, our kids will have a memory of this season, something that we do not have from our childhoods. Let’s make sure that in this time of uncertainty, that they see it as a blessed time of being home together. We, adults, have never dealt with anything quite like we are experiencing now and what they will remember is all this time with you at home during this season, so let’s make it count. They will remember the extra snuggles and the extra efforts to make their lives so good during this time. They will remember the extra reading time together in His Word. They will reflect on this and see that their families really held it together for them when the world seemed so upside down. Isn’t that the vision you want for your family when we walk away from this season?
Embrace This Season
Hang in there Mamas and Daddies, Grandmas and Grandaddies! This too shall pass!!! Embrace this time to cash in on those extra conversations and extra moments to soon be a memory. Enjoy what God is doing during this time. Have eyes wide open to see Him work and pray. Pray for your family and other families. Pray for a spiritual awakening around this world. Pray for our leaders and our health care people who are making it happen every day. Praise God that the church is not just the building. Pray that this Easter, people will truly reflect on the power of The Cross and The Tomb and New Life in Him. We have so much to be thankful for!!!
So….. wait, trust, and obey. Stay home, stay safe, and trust His timing, not ours. Soak up every second of your family that you can right now. Call those you have not called in while. Make the most of this time at home.
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