Deuteronomy 6 has been a favorite of mine since becoming a mom. It’s a lighthouse that helps guide me in this journey of motherhood. Family worship has been more of a spontaneous than planned “thing” at our home. We crank up worship music and dance and sing together (it puts EVERYONE in a good mood!), we read Bible stories at bedtime, talk about the Lord’s goodness, and pray with our girls. Tonight, however, I was reading “Grace for the Moment for Kids” (Max Lucado — LOVE HIM!) Today’s message is that OUR own name is written on the Lord’s hand and spoken on HIS lips. Let that sink in, just how incredibly amazing THAT is! Towards the end, it suggested reading Psalms 139 to see just how closely the Lord watches over us, and at 10 p.m., we did just that. A passage so familiar to me made tears fill my eyes. We stopped and discussed portions as we went, but verses 17-18 is what stood out the most tonight:

“How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!”- Psalm 139

We are beach people. We “close down” the beach on a daily basis as we play while the sun sets. I cook most of our meals ahead of time so that dinner is easy (I, for one, do not think taking my 3 kids out to eat after a day at the beach sounds even the least bit fun!). One thing my kiddos know is sand. They LOVE it! We dig in it, build with it, and explore all day every day. They get that you can’t count grains of sand. My prayer is that they get how much the Lord loves them. That His never-ending, can’t-hide-from-him presence is a GOOD thing.

The cherry on top tonight is the section of Psalms Chloe spontaneously started reading as I was flipping through looking for something. She kept talking about Psalm 29 and when I flipped there, Psalm 28:4 was where her eyes landed:

“The one thing I ask of the Lord- the thing I seek most- is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in His temple. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock.” – Psalm 29:4-5

 

An amazing friend reminded me this week that our kids need time to “Be still and know that He is God.” I’m working with sweet Chloe to carve out that time in her day with her bible, notebook and things to write and draw with. I told her that some times the Lord may put a song in her heart, or give her something to draw, or something special she wants to write down. I long to help her establish a habit of sitting still with the Lord and listening for Him. I can’t wait to see the blessings flow.

I’ve been hanging out in 2 Peter a LOT the past week:

“By his divine power, God had given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

– 2 Peter 1: 3-4

It’s our job to guide them; to parent from the fullness of Christ that bears HIS fruit in us. When we want to scream back at that 2 year old pitching a fit– we respond with love and grace (along with a good measure of discipline!). We are in a battle for the hearts of our children. Thankfully our weapon is Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. We are called to be Image-bearers of our Savior, to all who meet us; ESPECIALLY those the Lord gives us stewardship over. Let’s walk together as we live for Christ!

Blessings!