Now I know...

Finally, almost 4 years into being a mommy, I'm starting to realize something. There will be days when everything falls apart. And the only way to salvage those days, is to cancel all plans and snuggle with my babies. It's amazing how much some cuddle time on the couch can do for the grouchies. And lets face it... sometimes the grouchiness I speak of is more prevalent in myself than in my kids! :) Sometimes, the most important thing you can accomplish in a day is to spend hours of seemingly fruitless playtime with your children. But you know what? Those hours of playtime are more fruitfull than we can imagine. When we are willing to put aside things in order to spend our time tying heartstrings with our children, we are ensuring that they will trust in us, and desire to obey us. We are also ensuring that we will be able to pass on God's precepts and truths to them. If we do not have a relationship with our children, we cannot faithfully teach them. They will be slow to hear us, because they do not see our love for them or our desire to give them God's best. Sometimes, the house won't be clean. Sometimes, the food won't be gourmet. But everything will be gained if we spent that time capturing the hearts of our children, and diligently teaching them the commands of God.

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." -Deuteronomy 6:5-9 ESV

This does not mean that I'm advocating that we don't need schedules, or that we shouldn't strive to be good homemakers. Our God is a God of order, and I believe our lives (and homes) should mirror that as much as is possible. (Jennie Chancey has some excellent ideas for a workable schedule when you have little ones here.)

But there will be many times when our children need our absolute attention, love, and training. And in those times, nothing should pull us away from our most important task as mothers: Bringing our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.