Is it Me? Or Does It Look Like My Son Is Being Blown Out Of Bed?

Lol!  Kids sleep in the strangest positions.

I try to make it my habit to check on the kids as I slip past their rooms each night.  Do you do the same thing? 

Why?

For me, besides the giggles I get out of their strange positions, I like to pause by their beds to reflect.

The day can be hectic and rotten and busy and frustrating.  But in the still of the night, by the side of their beds, I remember what’s important.

It’s a mom thing.

We watch their peaceful faces and see clearly how much they have grown.  And changed.  And how quickly the time is passing.  It’s one of the reasons I keep my header picture.

Although that picture feels like it was taken yesterday, I know it couldn’t be.  Because that little guy is now five years old.  FIVE years old.  And he’s a singing, dancing, light saber-toting storm trooper by day, and a snorer by night.

I pause by their beds for me.  To remember I’m their mom.  Not just their cook and their maid and their nurse.

I have a picture which hangs where I see it often.  It says:

A mom writes on the hearts of her children that which the world will never erase.

I pause by their beds to consider what I’ve written so far, and what I’d like to write while I still have the time.

I’d like to write more than my blog this year.  :)

Linked up at Wordful Wednesdays and Wordless Wednesday.

More Than Wimpy Christians?

It's bitter cold today. Looking at my header picture of my youngest (three days old) gives me the shivers. But it was August, then, in the upper 80's, and the sun felt marvelous.



I thought about changing the picture out several times, but each time couldn't do it. It is one of my favorites and reminds me of how each of my three boys was given to me. . . a precious little newborn, needy, adorable, and full of potential.



This little baby is now a precocious four-year-old and the things that come out of his mouth can make even a doctor blush. I'll have to tell you about a few of them, sometime. But the point is, we all need reminders that these kids are gifts. That God gave them to us for a reason, and they have a purpose in His plan.



Some days we need LOTS of reminders--that they are gifts-- lol!



I think pictures of our children as newborns also make us see how quickly they change. Already, my oldest is nearly eyeball to eyeball with me and doubting my intelligence. Some days, I don't blame him.



The changes in them happen so rapidly that we often don't realize it until we come across pictures like this. Then our whole world stops. We sit. We stare. We catch a faint whiff of baby. . .and we smile.



Sigh.



Then a crash in the next room snaps us back to reality.



As much as I hate to think about it, I need to remember that time does pass quickly.



Some days, I think I would like to keep them tucked safely under my wing forever. (And, in the interest in transparency, some days I would like to pluck each of their smart aleck feathers.) But keeping them protected and sheltered forever just isn't possible. Nor is it what God intended when he gave them to us.



Heidi, of Moms Ministry and More, started me thinking seriously along this line. She started me thinking about what I'm doing with my children now, and how I'm preparing (or not preparing) them to go out into the world. A world where there are real spiritual battles raging. Her thoughts are profound and challenging and left me feeling convicted of being a Wimpy Christian.



If you are a Christian, and have children, or grandchildren, or you work with children, this post will challenge you, and make you think. In a good way, I believe.



Go. Go read Wimpy Christians. Let Heidi know what you think of her words. Then join me in praying that God gives us the courage and faithfulness to be more than Wimpy Christians--and be the parents God wants us to be.



Thanks, Heidi!