As I sit here and write this, my new little guy is sleeping peacefully on my chest. I can hear his little gurgles and squeaks, and smell that “newborn smell” that all of us mothers know so well! It’s times like these that I feel like the luckiest woman in the world. So often I look around at my family…my hard-working, wonderful husband, and my 3 beautiful boys…and can’t believe how much I have been blessed. Blessed to be a wife and mother, blessed to be able to raise my boys on the apple farm that I grew up on, blessed to be able to stay home with my boys, blessed to have my parents and 2 amazing sisters both live walking distance from our house, blessed that the Lord chose us to be His people, just blessed like crazy! However, way too often I don’t feel so blessed. Going through everyday life, behind on the laundry, constantly telling the kiddos “no, you can’t have that candy” or “pick up your shoes”; those things tend to cloud my vision of “being thankful in all things.”
I know that one of the hugest blessings is to be able to stay home with my boys and guide and teach them as they grow. Until recently, I thought a stay-at-home mom was just that – a stay-at-home. I played with my kiddos, I was referee to their arguments, I cooked for them and taxied them here and there; but never really felt or realized the true purpose of being a stay-at-home mom. It’s so much more than just staying home. It’s the “job” that God has given me, has blessed me with. And it’s one HARD job! I feel like I am now just starting to scratch the surface, but the Lord has been teaching me and guiding me and showing me that His purpose for a mom is to constantly teach and guide our children in the truth of God’s Word. In the whole sceme of things, we don’t get much time with our precious little ones before they grow up. So that time, all the time needs to be filled with teaching them about our good God. That is my job. And it’s so HARD. I’ve been reading a lot of books about leading our children God’s way, and so many times I have come across the fact that this job is not supposed to be easy. So many times I have actually felt sorry for myself because I have to stay at home with 3 rambuncious boys, thinking that this is all just way too hard. Well, it is hard, and it’s supposed to be. The Lord says, “small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” I pray that I always choose the narrow way, the hard way, the way that leads to life. He also tells us in His word, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” I take that to mean that if we depend fully on God and seek His will in raising our children, even though it may be difficult, He will guide us and teach us and help us through it all. Without Him, I know it would be an impossible job to do. So glad I don’t have to do it without the Lord’s help! Pray for me if you think about it. Pray that I will raise my children to seek God in all things, to love Him with all of their hearts, to depend on Him, and to know that life without Him is not worth it. And I would like to pray for you, Moms, also! So please please leave me a comment on here or Facebook or private message me to tell me how I can be praying for you. The road is narrow, dear Mothers, but His yoke is easy!
And I must leave you with this verse that we inscribed into the concrete of our garage before it dried. God is talking about His words and commands and He says, “You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates…” Oh how I continually need to be reminded that this is my job, my calling and my blessing!
Without further ado…I’d like to introduce you to our new little Lincoln! Our family pictures this year were taken by my amazingly talented friends and fellow photographers – Meg Borders and Melissa McFadden! And some were taken by me, just obviously not the ones with me in them!
Some film…some digital.
