Finding Your Purpose As A Mom- Part I continued
Part I: It Begins With You, continued.
"Charles Parkhurst put it this way: "Home interprets heaven. Home is heaven for beginners."
"To get a clear vision for what your home can be, then, consider what the Bible says about what Christ's future millennial kingdom and heaven are like."
"One of the first things we learn...is that it's a place of beauty." -Here she goes on to talk about doing what we can to beautify our homes through decoration, candles, flowers, music, etc.
"And even more important, a home that gives a foretaste of heaven is a home that is emotionally safe, where each person's dignity and feelings are protected.
"What else do we know about heaven that can serve as a model for our earthly homes? ...."
I'm paraphrasing the following-
1. A gathering place
2. Relationships
3. An orderly place "Behind all the beauty and celebration is a serene but energetic sense of order, a comforting sense that everything is as it should be..."
4. A place of truth
5. A welcoming, hospitable place "where guests are treated like family and family are treated like special guests...There is always a little something set aside for visitors- a snack in the freezer, some space in a closet, an extra place at the table. The house is kept reasonably clean and ready, and the heart is kept open enough to welcome company even if the house isn't completely clean."
6. A place where God is present and God rules "worship and praise are primary activities."
"For even though my home will not last forever, the souls who live here and visit here certainly will."
"HELP!" "If you say yes to the Lord's calling to make your home holy ground, he will provide you with an adequate support system to make it happen...not likely to arrive in the form of a maid standing on your doorstep..."
"Even Mary, as far as we know, didn't have specific daily instructions from an angel as she went about shaping the home where her Son was going to grow. Instead, she had to plan."
"Looking for help...is key. God truly does provide, but he also expects us to participate. He wants us to actively involved in what he is doing in our lives. It's up to use to ask for help, to keep our eyes peeled for the Lord's provision....God provided scriptural guidance...but we have to actually read Scripture, figure out how it might be speaking to our lives, and then obey."
"God expects us to participate in our own help, and that means we sometimes have to dig deep."
"If you seek it, you will find a branch of the Lord's family that offers you support...Even more specifically, within Christ's family you will find your most important sources of help: mentors and sisters."
"Ask the Lord to open your eyes to possible mentors and sisters."
"And though your husband is meant to be your partner, your lover, and your leader, he is ill-equipped to be your sole source of support in running your household. Yes, you can support each other mutually. But unless you rely on other sources- your Bible, the Holy Spirit, your mentors, your sisters- you risk pulling your husband down instead of mutually supporting him."
"I truly believe that part of your responsibility as the shaper of your home is to take advantage of the help God makes available in whatever form it might take."
"But in our culture, I fear a "support group" has come to mean a "sympathy group," a place where people with similar problems go to air their frustrations. And while that may have its place, that's really not the kind of support you need for shaping a godly home. By support I don't just mean sympathy or finding someone who understands what your are going through. Instead, the kind of support I mean is a relationship that strengthens you in the Lord and encourages you to do do what he wants you to do."
LOVE, love, love the above quote. I think this is SO true!
"You can be sure of two things: First, you are called to be faithful and content in your present role. Second, God has something wonderful in store for you, and he wants you to live in joyful anticipation of that future."
"No matter where you are, you can be confident that God put you there."
"Your home is holy ground, and so are you. You are blessed among women, and God has a plan for you and for your home."
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