Well, summer is in full swing and our messy house is proof of that.  I am trying not to count the days, as I know it will be over all too soon and our scheduled lives will commence.  My youngest will start kindergarten next month and I will be a mess (at least the first couple of days).  In my nine years of parenting, I’ve always had a little one at home with me, so August will be bittersweet.  Because I know I can never go back to those earlier days when life was messier, but somehow easier.  So, for now, we are enjoying the sunshine and flip flops, and the occasional pajama day.

I’ll be the first to admit, I am not the best parent.  Nine times out of ten, I am impatient and irrational.  Too often, my focus can be on a to-do list, rather than enjoying the day….or better yet, enjoying my kids.  And even when having fun, I often feel distracted by what “needs” to be done.  My goal at the beginning of the summer was to clean out closets, organize cabinets, and declutter the entire house.  As of today, I have completed 0% of that objective.  And surprisingly, I’m ok with that.  I can plan until I’m blue in the face, but life rarely goes according to what’s on a piece of paper.

              Proverbs 16:9 says, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”

Summer is good for moms like me.  It’s been a great reminder to slow down and recognize what is truly important.  It’s in the moments of ice cream and fireworks that foundations are laid.  It’s in the days spent at the pool or watching movies late at night that our family grows stronger.  Conversations happen and memories are made.  When we value one another over any agenda or plan, I believe the Lord is pleased.

“It’s in the moments of ice cream and fireworks that foundations are laid.”

 

The older I get, the more I see the importance of acknowledging God in all that I do, especially in our daily activities.  My role as wife and mother far surpass anything else I could strive to do in life.  That is why I need His guidance, and not my own.  I want to know His will for me so I can toss mine out the door.  Because what God has for you and me is far greater than we can imagine.  My prayer is that my children see a mom who falls, but knows how to get back up again.  I want them to see someone grounded in the Word of God rather than circumstances.  That I would demonstrate mercy rather than judgement and place love at the top of any list.  Lord, let You be my ultimate goal.  So that anything I say or do, would point back to You.