A Picture in my Mind

See the third kid from the right, in green? That's my boy! He was making a dash for it in the 100 meter fun run. 

Today, I asked myself the question: What do I want from being a mom? Somehow, my initial answer is wrapped up in how the kids do down the road. It's this. I want our kids to be driven. This is just one goal that seems most pressing right now. I'm feeling it. I'm feeling disorganized!

We have had many goals and desires for our kids. The primary ones are that they will know Jesus intimately all along the way as they grow.  We want them to be socially and emotionally mature people. At one point, I think I put that as a dichotomy against academic success.  But now, I recognize that I do want our kids to succeed academically as well, but that's not utmost. It's that they will go for things with drive. Whatever they put their hand to, I want them to do it with purpose.

What is it going to take for US to help them be driven?  I think an organized home is probably one of the first external factors that will help them flourish.

Time and time again, I see how teaching our kids about doing life means parents have to look at their own ways of doing life and evaluate.

My procrastinating skills are NOT skills I want to pass on to my children, let alone even bringing light to the concept!

My "it's a mess but I know where things are" skill also doesn't quite fly when there are 4 others in the family looking for the same thing... "it's in the left pile on my desk... wait who made it one pile and moved it to the countertop!!"

So this is an incremental goal and a step toward something greater. My motivation to have more discipline in my life is motivated by an external factor.  I want my kids to be driven.

But I know deep down, there is a greater reason. Jesus wants to refine me so I bring him glory. Jesus wants me to experience grace because I feel like a failure as a mom every day!! And if it takes my whole life to "get organized" my kids are in HIS hands. And that is the bottom line.

So by grace, I will rest in the fact that all is in Christ's hands. And by grace I will pursue excellence in our home.