Today we continue our book study on The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson with chapter 3: The Undivided Heart. Please join us! Here are just a few points that really stood out to me while reading this chapter.
Matthew 6:20-21
“Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
The command in this passage of Scripture is for us to set our hearts on choices that have eternal results, rather than temporal significance. I have always considered this passage to only be referring to storing up treasures in heaven, challenging us to be generous, to tithe, to serve, and send our resources on ahead of us. What struck me in this chapter was Sally’s insightful point with this question: Have you considered that your children are eternal souls that will last for eternity?
“My children are eternal human beings whose lives and souls will last throughout all of eternity…God has given them into my husband’s and my hands to protect and lead and shepherd them through this life on earth; in his sight, they are my first priority. Committing myself to fulfilling God’s design falls under the admonition to seek first his kingdom – the kingdom of heaven where we will live for all eternity. The kingdom of this world and all of its pleasures last only for a time. My children will become treasures in heaven if they indeed learn to love God and serve him with their whole hearts. This is eternal work – to train the hearts, minds, and consciences in righteousness.“
This is our eternal work as parents – to invest in building a strong generation of children, through building their moral, emotional, mental, and spiritual well being, so they might function as responsible adults for the rest of their lives. This is my primary mission field – the souls of my children!
One day I will stand before the Judgment seat, and the Lord will ask me to give an account to him for the precious souls that he entrusted into my hands. Oh that I might be found faithful!
“Children do not accidentally become righteous leaders or emotionally healthy and productive adults – any more than seeds thrown randomly to the wind grow to be part of a thriving garden. Simply throwing children into a cultural tornado and hoping for the best gives them little chance of living up to their potential or coming out unharmed.”
There is a need for someone to take responsibility to invest in their nurture, protection, nourishment, intellectual development, manners, recreation, personal needs, and spiritual development. Who is willing to invest the time and energy needed to accomplish such a task? Should we leave it to others, the world around us, the “professionals”? A wise God has provided such a person in His perfect ordered plan for creation – and that person is a mother, working in partnership with her husband, to accomplish such a task!
What stood out to you in this chapter? Please feel free to share a quote, or anything that the Lord has been challenging you with thus far.
I loved this chapter. I feel like God has been urging me lately to evaluate closely what I have come to believe so easily about motherhood, my walk with Him, marriage, because He knows that many of it is rooted in the worlds lies.
The “undivided” heart. What a powerful image and what a convicting phrase. I am reassured and challenged by the fact that God intends for me to focus on my husband and children during this time and that I have not been given too much to handle but rather exactly what I need. I also loved the fact that she has reminded us that when we are serving our children we are serving Jesus Christ. The world will tell us that our job is mundane and that others could easily do it. Many of us have bought into that lie and decided to allow others the time and oppurtunity to be our children’s primary caregiver. Others of us have are just missing out on our God-given oppurtunity to teach our children.
I think it all needs to come back to the heart and with each of us asking these VERY important question: “Is this what God has intended for my life? Is the way I am conducting myself during the day, the way I have structured our week and our family life what God meant for our family? Or have we somehow corrupted his perfect plan for our family?”
For me, although I won’t say we’ve reached perfection, but rather have become more intentional about creating a life which allows God’s plan for our family to be made a reality, these are some of the decisions we have made:
-Live by this verse: “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step by the Spirit.”
-Stay home more during the day with my children. Always being busy going out and about was causing me to miss out on many oppurtunities to teach and disciple my children.
-Get my parenting advice ONLY from the bible. Accept advice ONLY that is rooted in the Word. (not super nanny or love and logic or a cute baby center post….)
-Use scripture for encouragement and discipline…constantly address heart issues in my children rather than merely their surface behavior.
-Homeschool. For our children, we feel called by God to homeschool, mainly because we feel our goal of training in righteousness would be too difficult if we only had a couple of hours in the evening to do it.
-Find a church where we can be encouraged, taught, AND held accountable.
-Share. Share. Share. Tell others what God is doing in our lives and in doing so we have been so blessed and we are starting to realize that to look different is just the beginning to living out God’s purpose for our lives.
I realize this looks different for every person but I do think that as Christians we forget to “ask” God where we may have gone astray and often feel that because we are similar to our other Christian friends that we are on track. If there is one thing I have learned as of late it is this: We need only compare ourselves to Christ to assess how far we have to go, or compare ourselves to what we used to be to gauge how far we have come.
Just found your blog today, and am LOVING it! This is a wonderful book. I have implemented many of Sally’s things over the last decade of home schooling.
The thing that stood out to me the most was the thought that when I serve my family, I am serving Jesus Christ. This was very convicting to me. I wondered how I might do things differently if I really thought of it that way, every day!! Something I am definitely going to strive to do!
I love that quote, “Children do not accidentally become righteous leaders or emotionally healthy and productive adults”, it is so true and said so well.
I also appreciated her point that, “If a mother who gave her children life is not willing to do what it takes to provide security, love, protection, instruction and stability for her own children, then who will be willing to do so?”
Convicting…