Well, our sunshine left and today we've had a dreary sort of day. It's been a cozy day, though - snuggled up in comfy stay-at-home clothes, homeschooling, reading books, drinking coffee and hot chocolate, watching a movie, spending some extra quiet time in God's Word. I have been continuing on my journey of looking for ways to make the ordinary extraordinary. Sometimes, it requires a stretch of the imagination, but I'm thinking maybe God did give us an imagination for a reason. :)
In the last couple of months, I came across the blog aholyexperience.com published by Ann VosKamp. She is an amazing, poetical writer and a deep thinker. She has also written the book One Thousand Gifts which I just purchased and finally had the chance to sit down and read a little of last night. Her emphasis in her blog and book is finding the everyday gifts in life and being thankful for them. I have been amazed at how many things there are to be thankful for when you begin to look for them.
Today, Ann posted this on her blog, and it made me really stop and think of how I look at my kiddos in everyday life. She said, "When did I start seeing children as commonplace and stop seeing motherhood as a holy place?" I have been so blessed with the gift of my kiddos, but why do I not see them that way? Life is such a gift - a beautiful, wonderful gift. I want my kiddos to know that their lives are valuable and precious to God and to me.
I began to be convicted especially of the words I speak to my kiddos and the way in which I speak them. My mission: to find as many Bible verses as I can that speak of words and the tongue and print them out and place them everywhere in the house. I do not want impatient words to come from my lips. I want my children to know that I am blessed because they are in my life. One of the best ways I can think of to accomplish this is by speaking words of encouragement and love - even when disciplining. Will I use my words to build up my little hearers and show them how important they are to me, or will I use my words to show them that are only commonplace children who usually get in the way of my plans? My prayer today is that I would let no corrupt communication proceed out of my mouth, but that I would use my mouth to edify and minister grace to my little hearers. (Ephesians 4:29) I want my children to know that they are not commonplace, ordinary kiddos, but rather, they and my mister are the most valuable and precious treasures I have in this life.
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