I gotta lotta thinks in my brain....

This came out of Jack's mouth the other day after sitting pensively at the table for a few minutes staring at the wood grain. Not sure what he was thinking about at the time but I can definitely relate! I know his thoughts and concerns are waaaay different than mine but I really love the way he relates to the world. Sometimes I really wish my biggest thrill could be an over-frosted bite-sized mini-wheat! (Yesterday morning he couldn't wait to show me one in particular so while I was getting out of the shower he shoved it under the bathroom door so I could see it before he ate it...).

A few weeks ago at MOPS we had a panel of moms, who are a little further down the mom road, come and share some wisdom with us. A few things stood out to me during that time and I've been trying to implement some of them since. The main thing was being intentional during these crazy and hectic years. It seems like the very thing that might drive me over the edge and cause me to give up the last bit of whimsy I have left, but on the days when I really am taking the time to be intentional I notice that we are all a little more free to be joyful. I guess it's probably because we know what is coming next and that we are freed up to get excited for it.

The main place that I feel the need for intentionality is in my prayer life. When I got pregnant with boy #3 I remember thinking to myself that my worries were just going to increase...it was hard to be joyful with that thought in the back of my mind. When you have kids hanging out there it's like having a part of yourself walking around without having any control over it. I want so many things for my kids, most of all for them to walk with the Lord faithfully and to love others with all their heart. But because I'm human I also desire success, confidence, comfort and popularity for them! Everything in me wants to control them into this and away from hurt and brokenness. But I realize that what I need to do is pray that they will have the resolve to walk with God through hardship and allow Him to guide them through hurt in order that they will come out stronger and wiser on the other end. Otherwise what kind of flimsy, feeble faith will they have?

So, one of the moms at MOPS named a few things she and her husband prayed for diligently for their kids. The first was that they would love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength and love their neighbor as themselves (I think someone else said that is the greatest commandment right?:). The second is that they would have wisdom and discernment for good decision making and the third is that they would have the strength of character to follow through with those good decisions. That pretty much sums up what I want for my kids! I think they could survive any situation if they have these tools in their toolbox. Ultimately it's eternity that I'm concerned with and I don't want to be distracted by daily life and temporary earthly concerns. Let's face it, I'm just not big enough to control all the things that come our way. I'm so thankful for a God who wants to take this on for us!