Wisdom....Part 1

When my husband and I found out that we were expecting our first child, we began to seriously search for godly parenting examples/help.  While we had each grown up in Christian homes, we knew that there were areas lacking in our own upbringing; namely, Bible study as a family.  Neither of us grew up in households that regularly prayed together.  Nor did we grow up in homes that opened the Word and studied together.  Those activities were supported by our parents in theory, even encouraged by them verbally; but, it was always something to be done independently.  We knew that we wanted more for our children.  We wanted to fill their precious minds with a great love, hunger and thirst for Scripture.  And we wanted our whole family together on the journey.

Coming from a background without this example + being newlyweds (our oldest was born in our 2nd year of marriage) made the task at hand a little daunting.  Honestly, we didn't know where to begin.  All we knew early on was that children were a blessing from the Lord and we wanted to joyfully receive as many of them as the Lord saw fit to give us.  But having a positive view about children and actually raising  them are two different things. How DO you raise children that love God's word?  How DO you help them memorize it?  What passages should you focus on?  How do you raise godly children period?  Add to that a complete lack of experience being around newborns/babies at all.....yeah.  We were a little lost.  

But, we knew that God would provide the wisdom we needed - we knew this because His word promised it:  

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him."  (James 1:5).

The Lord has much to say to us about wisdom.  Seeking wisdom should be a primary goal for our individual lives, our marriages and our parenting.  I want you to know that I have not sought wisdom consistently in any of these areas.  I still battle daily with my flesh and the various distractions and temptations that surround me.  As a mom of 6, I often battle weariness, frustration and impatience.   I wish I had it all together; but, I don't and the reality is that I never will.  While perfection won't come this side of Heaven, I can still improve (daily).  I can make prayerful efforts to change (daily).  I can become a better example to my children of what a student of the Word looks like (moment by moment).  I want their memories of our home to reflect our love for the Lord.  

And I bet you want the same for your home.

Join me later this week as we consider more about wisdom in our homes.