dinosaurs, glimpes of hope and our Real hope

I just received a text from a dear friend that read:

A whole lesson about Jesus and Nate's response is "look at that dinosaur, mama." 

I laughed out loud. I can't tell you how many times I've spent extra time trying to teach a lesson and I hear something similar...only in our house it is more likely to be "Mama, I was thinking about a princess..."

There are days as a mother that you feel like beating your head up against a wall and if you are a mama of little ones and have a moment, read this great post from a mother of 5 (soon to be 6!) who is homeschooling.  It captures the reality of a day at home with your children. Let's just say, it isn't always easy.

But, there are also days like yesterday when you hear your two year old respond to their name with a "yes mama, I coming!" (and she did) and you hear your four-year-old say "mama, I hope you don't get sick or somethin' I miss hearing the sermon" (We missed church last Sunday.)  I told her last night we could listen to it today and I am humbled to say that she asked about it again this morning. We snuggled in our pjs, colored a bit and she listened.  We listened.

Even though it may seem like all they care about are dinosaurs and princesses, they are listening.  And one day the years of daily discipline, the mama and child tears, the worn knees in prayer, may just turn into "Yes mama, I coming."  (And the next day you might not even hear it one time but you'll have hope from the day before.)

So don't stop speaking. Don't stop teaching. Speak words of life, of encouragement, of hope. Speak the Gospel.

They're listening.

And let them see you live it. Let them see you cherish them and prize Christ above all. Let them see you stop to play with them but also stop to pray with Him.

They're watching.

Oh, but how often do I wish they weren't listening, weren't watching? All the times they hear me speak without love or see me waste precious moments on whatever task at hand seems more important to me than they are, weigh on my soul.

Without grace, the burden becomes too much to carry.  But by the grace of God, there are reminders like this one:

... in order to be a tool of grace, I desperately need grace myself. 

I must recognize that there is nothing I can say well enough, no lesson they can hear clearly enough that can change their hearts, or mine.  Only grace does that. Only God can do that.

So I keep speaking, keep walking, keep praying that they listen...and trust God to give them ears to hear Jesus and eyes to see beyond me, the princesses and even the dinosaurs.

My hope...it's in Christ.  

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I've added a couple pages to my blog.  A page of resources (that I will occasionally update) and just a little bit about me.