Sometimes it is easy being a professional parent rather than being the parent God wants you to be.
The more number of children you have the busier life gets. Every new child brings into life exponential busyness to your already most likely, very crowded, and over-scheduled life.
But it is important to remember that your task as a mum is very similar to that of being a pastor; you have to know and be intimately acquainted with, the condition of your flock.
Being pastorally minded requires you to know the state of your householders’ hearts, and watching over their physical, emotional and spiritual needs diligently.
As a mum, one of my most important job at home is to create an atmosphere of peace and not strive. I believe this is more readily caught than taught.
I want to enter every room in the home and create calm rather than chaos (and believe me, it’s very easy to live in a state of perpetual chaos with kids in the home).
I am the atmosphere maker at home and the most influential person who imprint the same spirit into their adult lives.
Any little thing might have rocked your little ones’ world, or things might have happened during the day that aggravate, worry, frustrate or anger you…, but with God’s help our tone of voice, our kind instruction and our eye connection can calm even the most catastrophic home disaster.
To be a pastor to your kids also mean that you are not running around from place to place like a chook without a head trying to be a super mum. Giving your kids an endless stream of activity and outside stimulation may defeat your most important learning centre: the home. There are precious lessons that only staying home can teach. Contentment, self control, manners, structure, rest, devotional life are a few of the most precious tools a child can be equipped with through spending time at home. Cooking, imaginary play, sensory learning and creative plays are other important activity that home can help to reinforce in a child’s developing world. Not to mention the benefits of what it forces the mum to do: continuous learning and being a teacher to your kids!
I believe being pastorally minded means setting the right rhythm and pace for your family. It is about knowing the balance, the priority and the calling for just this stage of life. You have to ensure your home is an oasis where each individual can re charge and grow to meet their personal potential.
There is a place and a season for everything but the opportunity to connect with your kids will not always be there. We need to take time to understand their little worlds and then shape their lives by implanting godly values in them. It is of no use if they appear to be the most well organized children in your circle of friendship but if they are devoid of love and values on the inside.
It’s important to remember too that being pastorally minded means to be committed to growing our marriage relationships with our husbands.
Simplistically put for me, this means, being diligent to keep all weeds away from our relationship, loving my husband above my children and being his partner, supportive and submissive to his ventures and leadership.
Something that has struck me lately is how I am comfortable in giving my husband my ‘left over me’ when he comes home from work, just because “I’ve been with the kids the whole day and they’ve sapped the very best of me”.
It dawned on me that I actually need to put as much effort, kind heartedness, time, energy, creativity and prayer as I would into the kids, or any other project in my life. He, after all, is my greatest gift on earth, and I sometimes get blindsided because I have been too busy chasing after other winds.
What about you? How do you watch after the condition of your home?
(Looking after the condition of my home also translates into making my home a beautiful sanctuary. Click here to peek into some organizational ideas we have put to make our home efficiently running).