Dec. 17, 2006 - No Higher Calling
"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble." ~ Helen Keller
I came across this quote the other day, and I thought, "My...how true that rings with motherhood." I think a lot of times (okay, ALL the time!) the world treats the occupation of being a wife and mother just a little higher than being a full-time toilet scrubber. So at times we feel pressure to strive for carreers that help us to feel accomplished. The reality is that there is no higher calling than to be the molder and shaper of our childrens' character. After all, our children are our future, and from where I sit, our nation ( the world) is in dire need of leaders who are strong in character.
I see examples of this on a daily basis. No where is our sin nature more evident than in our children. My childrens' sin nature rears its ugly head all too often; however, I see this as being a very good thing. Why is this a good thing? Well, when their character flaws (sin) surface, those issues can be dealt with immediately. I shudder when I think, "What if they were in school all day and I worked full-time pursuing my accomplished career?" Those sin issues would go unnoticed and would not be dealt with ~ they would continue to grow and take root and become a large part of my childrens' character!"
With as hard as homeschooling is sometimes ~ especially on days when the discipline seems never ending; I am SO thankful that I am able to stay home and educate my children. There is nothing more accomplished than to raise children who have a heart for the Lord and who are living according to His purpose for their lives. This is my higher calling. This is why we homeschool.
It is just thrilling to know that God has tremendous plans for our childrens' lives. There is so much riding on them! God's plan for Will's life is now being revealed. It is so neat to be able to "train him in the way he should go." An accomplished career? Who needs it?! I'm doing something that is far greater and more noble than any career I could ever have.
Well, it is exactly 7:01 a.m. I can hear Elijah babbling in his crib, and Luke just walked in. His eyes are barely open and he is bringing me his train set ~ the ones he sleeps with every night. He is a train fanatic. He LOVES Thomas the Tank. He is hungry and is asking for his breakfast. It is time to clock into work and get started with my day.
