Sharing some recent encouragement

I am reading a book entitled The Mom Walk by Sally Clarkson. It is a book written to encourage mothers. The other day I was taking a moment out for myself and read a chapter that really spoke loudly to me. I want to share . . .

I need to remember that I am to lead my children in being a person who celebrates the joy of life. I am to model what it looks like to enjoy God and His creation. Often, in the midst of the duties of life, moms can easily become focused on the right things to do, correcting the immaturity of children, and inadvertently portraying God as a strict moral judge just waiting for them to fall short.

It is vital we realize we are a model of God to our children and we must take care that we present His light, beauty, humor, love, and joy. I love this verse in Proverbs: "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones" (Proverbs 17.22)

Though this probably applies to an individual, I have seen how it applies to our family as a whole. Every day of my life as a mom is filled with chores, duties, problems, issues, and responsibilities. If I allow my soul to become overwhelmed by these things all the time, my spirit becomes dry and depressed, and I pass on my disparaging attitude to everyone in my house like a virus of darkness. Each day I must learn I have a choice to make. I can focus on all that is unjust in my life, on all the ways my children fall short, on all the demands each day makes of me, and end up with a complaining, griping spirit.

But a broken spirit dries up the bones!!

I realized that one of the roles God wants me to play in my children's lives is a conductor of joy, happiness, and celebration. After all, God designed our need for these things into our very hearts. We were made to enjoy life and our Creator, and we were meant to choose to live in His beauty and provision.