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Home | Blog | The Only Way

The Only Way

Blog, Faith

As the river runs to find the ocean blue

My heart will always run to find You

This is one of my favorite songs, because it speaks of my desperate need for God in this daily, hourly job called “mom.”

I have days that I call my Calgon days. As in, I need a bucket of calgon. Or a quiet place to run to. Or a big box of chocolates. I’ll text my husband at work the word “Calgon” and he knows it’s one of those days.

We live in a little tiny house with 7 people. We are looking for something much, much bigger, but in the meantime, we are stepping over one another constantly. Or stepping on Legos, tripping over chairs, or pushing stacks of paper and laundry aside.

Besides the space issue, we have 2 very active little boys who need to expend their limitless energy. And a 5 month old baby girl.

Did I mention my 3 year old is the first of my children I would label “strong-willed?” Yes. I must have gotten off very easy on the first three. My time of rest is over. He keeps me on my toes and checks to see if I mean what I say from the time his little feet hit the floor in the morning until he gives up the fight at bedtime each night.

Have you ever tried to potty train a very tough, very persistently-naughty three year old boy while nursing a baby full time?
And did I mention his favorite naughty habit is screaming. I mean screeching. It’s a blend of a scream and a screech. And if he decides to throw a tantrum while I’m nursing the baby, his favorite way is to run to his room and dump out lots of toys. Like Legos. Or Lincoln Logs. Or Hot Wheels.

All. Of. Them.

Despite the chaos that can sometimes pile up in a matter of minutes, I have peace in the very midst of the storm.

I run to the quietest, most private place in my house (which is usually the bathroom) and pour it all out to God. I just hand that stress and frustration over to Him. I am reminded that He sees all, and He will give me the patience to deal with a naughty little boy and lovingly help him pick up the toys and still get dinner fixed (or at least have the bright idea to order a pizza) and put the laundry away and that it’s really not a big deal at all.

Thankfully, my mother taught me to memorize scripture as a young girl, and some very helpful verses just flood my mind in times like these. (It does help to get into a quiet room so you can actually hear the thoughts in your own head.)

There is no way I could do this without the grace of God. So when we sing the above song in church, I really feel those words:

As the river runs to find the ocean blue
My heart will always run to find You

May God’s grace be with you through every minute of every day as you do the small things in life that matter most.

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June 7, 2011 · Leave a Comment

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There's more than one way to get an education! Today I'm sharing a roundup of some out-of-the-ordinary homeschooling styles: Instead of thinking it’s “not for us,” Christian parents should be thinking “a secular education is not for us.” Geography and history go hand in hand. I never separate the two. And Mystery of History already has map work integrated into every lesson. I get a lot of pushback for saying that public education is not appropriate for Christians. “Homeschooling isn’t even in the Bible,” I’m told. No, the words are not there, but the principle definitely is. "Don’t let the world raise your children. Be intentional and fill their hearts and minds with the Word of God." -Nancy Leigh DeMoss I live in a very rural county in Texas. You know, the red-state Bible belt? And I get firsthand accounts from the parents and kids in my town, my church, and my neighborhood that would shock you. Smartphone videos that children pass around on the school bus. Foul language in kindergarten. Sexual escapades that happen at school and are discussed with all ages. Trans kids of every age. Bullying that scars children for life. And in case you hadn’t heard, the war on drugs was lost. Kids are still using them, selling them, and becoming addicted to them. I’m just gonna say it: sending kids off to school for the majority of their childhood is not normal, or biblical. Mamas feel that separation pain because we were created to raise, nurture, and mentor our own children. That task is not designed for strangers or government agents. I recently saw a new homeschool mom post in a forum that she had found a stack of books at the dollar store about Ben Franklin, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln. She was excited because these would meet the "good citizenship" requirement for homeschooling in Texas. The overturning of Roe v. Wade at the Supreme Court level has brought up many interesting conversations. And let me tell you, if you have kids who are old enough to understand it, they are old enough to be confronted by the discourse happening in our culture. Sadly, even Christian adults are easily swayed by their emotions, as well as some of the worst meme theology on the internet.

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