There are days when we are homeschooling that I am utterly overwhelmed by the amount of things I have a responsibility of making sure my kids learn...
As they get older that weight or burden seems to increase...
I am a pretty laid back person, but in all honesty... there are moments when I just don't know if I can do it all or I question whether or not they will be as equipped as they need to be when they leave my nest...
It is then that the sweet gentle voice of the holy spirit whispers back in my heart...
REMEMBER THE ONE THING THAT MATTERS MOST...
When it is all said and done... the ONE THING... that matters to me is that I will see my kids in eternity... that they will have a living, breathing, vibrant, walk of faith with their Savior Jesus... and that they will desire to share Him and His love with others...
(Just this morning I was so blessed when Louis right away after breakfast said, "Mom should we do our quiet times now?" The list of to do's for school was long and I literally had to stop myself and repeat... THE ONE THING... HE IS REMEMBERING THE ONE THING... my heart sang!)
Why oh why do I get distracted from the one thing??? It can be so disappointing to me when I let the unimportant take priority sometimes...
(I want to preface this by letting you know that I am not at all trying to be boastful in regards to my kids, our life... anything... we are such a work in progress, every last one of us! The following story is just to share how wonderful our God is!)
So back to my story... now that you know what ultimately matters most to me in raising our kids I can tell you what happened when we sat down for dinner 2 nights ago and I read the blog post about purchasing beds, mattresses etc. for Praise's home...
Mind you, my kids are quite familiar with Praise and the kids there. Louis, has been there on short term trips the past 2 years to spend time at Praise's house. Caleb and I were there this past January! But my little kids, while they haven't been there... they have heard the stories. They have seen the pictures. They can sense the love we have for the kids there... so they love them just the same. We even have pictures of the kids on our walls and a clock set to Uganda time so we can remember to pray for them and can think about what they might be doing at any given time...
So after I was finished reading the blog post to them and asked what they thought... immediately the wheels were turning... Jojo was saying that he thought he knew what he wanted to purchase... the other kids were pooling money and eventually between them purchased 2 mattresses, and 3 children's care packages. I was amazed by their generosity. Louis even was trying to find a way to make sure his 2 care packages were for some very special boys there... (Greg and I had already decided what we wanted to give for Praise's home:)
(I don't remember a time when I was any of their ages that I would have parted with those kinds of funds for someone else... so sad to say, but true...)
So I run upstairs and there is my precious Jojo enlisting the help of Caleb to count ALL of his money.
He was determined to see what he had! And when it was all accounted for, he said, " I am $3.85 short mom... Can I work for you to earn that last bit of money... I want to pay for it all! I want to buy a set of bunk beds!"
Now mind you, this little fella wanted to give every last penny he had to buy a bed for 2 children on the other side of the world...
Here is where I had to even question my parenting and in the end Greg and I went round and round about how to handle it... we did not ever want any of them guilted into giving... We wanted them to know ANY amount, great or small, given with a joyful heart would be a wonderful amount...
Jojo insisted... on and on he went with comments like, The kids need it so much more than I do... They have nothing and I have a family... Oh no mom, I want to give it all! Think how nice it will be mom, for them to have their own bed... And with total joy he continued to insist!
Greg and I thought we would let them all sleep on it and make sure they were still feeling the same way in the morning... we even thought we would try to see if Jojo would split the cost with a brother ( still a super huge gift for an 8 year old!)
No way! He was determined and totally desiring to share every last dime to give beds to kids who currently may be sharing a bed with 2 other kids... now they will have their own!:)
A part of me wonders, how could I question my sweet generous 8 year old? He meant it and I knew it! Who am I to stall or even hinder the working of the Holy Spirit in his little heart... Who knows these may be the plantings of a missionary heart in him...
So tonight my heart is in awe and wonder of an 8 year old... who gave it all! What a lesson learned and I am grateful! This world is fleeting... it will all pass away... the only thing... the thing that matters most as a parent is passing on that torch of faith to our kids... Just when I think, thank you Jesus, something we are teaching must be sinking in... I realize that I am the one who has so much to learn.
I am so grateful to all my kids for their compassion for the orphan, generosity to give to those in need, and straight up excitement over the opportunity to give. Oh Lord, teach me to hold on loosely to those things that really don't matter... and to focus on what matters most!
I am so grateful for this sweet bunch of kiddos!
Praise's home almost completed!:) Wahoo! Isn't it beautiful?
