This post was written by contributor Lara Williams.
There’s. Just. So. Much. So many papers. So many events. So many appointments. So many lost shoes and lost teeth. And lost innocence. So many meals to plan. So many words to speak. There’s just so much to do. Which is why I need a continual, purposeful shift in perspective.
We’re just passing through on this earth. We’re here, literally, for a vapor of time and so are our kids. But here’s the really amazing part. The things we do and the things we impress upon our kids in this short life can have eternal effects. That’ll light a fire in me as a mom.
It’s easy to ride the waves of life and get sucked into the abyss of “doing” only to feel frustrated and overwhelmed. But our number one calling as a mom is do an eternal work. Our number one calling is to train up our kids in the ways of God’s unwavering, all-consuming love; everything else is peripheral.
So I have to start here and camp out here. And when I leave for a while to tend to the dailiness of life, I have to return here. Because I want — I need! — to move through today with an eternal perspective.
It affects how I discipline. It affects how I spend my time. It affects my priorities. It affects their souls. It affects everything. Yes, we’ll fail. But God is bigger. He moves in spite of us.
Today the challenge is that we start with the best perspective — the eternal perspective. This 4 minute and 19 second video of Francis Chan will help. It’ll light that mama-fire.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86dsfBbZfWs&w=420&h=315]
How could an eternal perspective change your own mothering style these days?
How can we keep an eternal perspective? Click here to join the discussion.
Speaker and writer, Lara Williams lives in central North Carolina with her husband and three young children. Click here to check out her blog.
This is a great post…passing the video on to my teenager!!
Seriously. Even my young children were blessed by the video.
Love this post.
Whenever I pray over my daughter one thing I always ask say is “God, please help Clara grow to be filled with your Holy Spirit.” Keeps my perspective in check that 1- my time with her is fleeting and 2-she is not my own, she is HIS and I need to work on getting her towards heaven.
That one phrase keeps things in perspective for me, “she is not my own.” So true! And so vital to remember.
Sooooo good, Lara! Thanks for throwing some kerosene on my day. 🙂
I like to “see” you all fired up.
What an amazing reminder! Thank you!
Who knew a rope could have so much impact on me! Great post! It definitely does shift my perspective.
At a time in my life when I’m putting on too many hats, making too many lists, and being just plain too busy…I desperately needed this!
wow! That got me going! I think I need to watch this every morning. I so easily forget this, but so don’t want to! I needed to hear this. Thanks friend!
Seriously, Aubrey. I could totally watch this every morning. Get’s me fired up.
Thank you for sharing! I loved it! Great reminder for all of us.
Thanks for this Lara!! I will be sharing this video on our holiday camp – such a truthful perspective! I love that Pastor Chan calls it like it is “that’s stupid! that’s crazy!” – will be very handy for the teenagers to relate to 🙂