The theme of my life, my motto, my principle to live by.

I've preached it a lot here on my blog!

This morning, I awakened much earlier than usual and had an extended quiet time with the Lord.  I was pondering different things and had some thoughts that at first seem to fly in the face of what a lot of wonderful people have shared.

But on digging deeper, it isn't so much that what I will share is going to negate what others have said.   It's dealing with the driving force, the reason behind it all.

Don't worry!  I'm not going to preach some heresy here!  

As wives, mothers and keepers of our homes, we want to be efficient, we want to be good stewards of our resources and time.  There is certainly nothing wrong with training our children to work, to help out, for everyone to pitch in to make the load lighter.   There is nothing wrong with using a day planner to keep track of your time and make sure the important things get done.  There is nothing wrong with training children to obey.

Unless.....

That is your primary focus.  What do I mean?

I find myself getting more focused on getting things done.  And guess what?  There ALWAYS seems to be more and more "things to get done"!   When I save some time here, five more things rush in to fill it up over there!

I am not a super-organized person.  I still struggle to implement writing stuff down so I don't forget (can a type A firstborn be a scatterbrain?!)   I work on those weaknesses in my character, but I am finding I must be careful on what the bottom line motivation is.

The bottom line cannot be "running the home more smoothly".  

The bottom line cannot be "making it easier."

The bottom line cannot be "getting more done."

The bottom line cannot be "being more efficient."

The bottom line cannot be "first-time obedience" (hang on--you'll see where I'm going!).

The bottom line, the motivation, the driving force behind it all is Godliness---in myself, my family, my home.

If I do all the above--run my home smoothly and efficiently, get lots done, have all my children obeying right away and helping in every way; if I let that become the goal and yet I don't have hearts, I have missed something very important.

Relationships.

I remember Michael Pearl answering a letter in one of their newsletters.  I don't remember the whole thing verbatim, but this thought stood out to me--to resign being the boss, the prison matron, so to speak.  To resign from "getting things done" and instead, go after their  hearts.  Spend time with them. Delight in them.   Enjoy having the children around.

I can't do that when my purpose and my goal is to have my home run smoothly.  Or to have first-time obedience.  Or all the other multitude of things we put first.  Academics.  Outside activities.  Church.

If our "bottom line", our goal and motivation isn't Godliness formed through relationships, then all the rest is but dung.  Nothing. 

Mamas, please remember you are forging relationships that will last into Eternity.  THAT is your most important focus.

Young ladies, please remember that you can seem obedient, helpful, academically smart and quite proficient in becoming a homemaker, but if you do not have love towards your siblings, if you don't really enjoy being with them and with your mama and daddy, you just have an empty shell.

Perhaps I'm the only one finding myself slipping into "getting things done".   I am yielding my life, my "schedule", my routines, my homeschooling, my homemaking all to the Lord.   That doesn't mean I am not going to plan, and have a "que será será" attitude towards life.

But I plan to take the days, the opportunities, the moments, to build the most precious thing in the world--

Eternal relationships.

I firmly believe that the other things "shall be added unto me" as I focus on the most important thing.

Getting hearts.  Keeping hearts.  Tying heart strings.

Enjoying each other.

Yes, it ALL goes back to relationships.

Have a blessed day delighting in your family!