Friends, I am so thankful and thrilled you’ve decided to read Seasons of a Mother’s Heart along with me! It is so much better than reading it by myself!
Last week, Chapter 2 was a little kick in the hind parts for me, I will readily admit.
However, this week’s chapter was soothing to my soul and brought fresh perspective in a much needed way.
Refreshment and Restoration
If I had to guess, I would imagine that most homeschool mothers have a very hard time restoring themselves. I certainly do. I feel depleted more often than not.
We feel guilty when we’re away from the children, yet we need the restoration period so desperately.
So what’s a mama to do?
Sally gives an excellent reason as to the why we need to be recharged and filled:
In the same way that Jesus often retreated from the needy crowds to spend time alone with God, I need to get away from the needy crowd in my home to be with the Lord and to draw from his restful waters….I need to make time to drink of his restful waters to replenish my own well! (Clarkson 59)
I find it so difficult to find the time to replenish myself.
Do you?
Making Time for God
When I had only littles and still worked nights as a nurse, I rarely read my Bible. I blamed it on the fact that I just didn’t have the time or energy.
Because I didn’t, or so I thought.
Then I was able to stay home when my 3rd child was born, and I still didn’t read my Bible consistently.
I should have had more time and energy to devote to the Lord, right?
I always used my lack of time and chronic exhaustion as my excuses for not making time for God in my life. I look back on those years and wish I’d made a different decision.
Thankfully, the Lord stayed after me and gave me this enormous desire to know him. And knowing God in an intimate way can only happen through spending time with Him and in His Word.
Each day, whether it happens in the early morning or during Quiet Time in the afternoon, I make sure I spend time with the Lord. It refreshes my soul in a way that nothing else can.
A day of horrendously bad behavior, a hard day of math, or a financially hard season can suddenly seem completely bearable when spending time with God is my priority.
If you don’t have a consistent time with the Lord each day, I urge you to start today. You won’t regret it and you’ll be amazed at the blessings that result.
If you have no idea what ‘spending time with the Lord’ looks like, feel free to email me. I’d be so happy to talk to you about that!
You need to determine when you can best be alone with God and organize your life to make sure it happens. (Clarkson 60)
Making Time for Other Things
The next few sections in this chapter focus on making time for other things in my life: myself, God’s beauty around me, and friends.
The section on making time for myself spoke quite loudly to me.
I am a person that recharges alone. Being with other people all day just drains me.
For the longest time, I have felt horribly guilty about this characteristic of mine. I love my children dearly, so why do I have this longing to be alone?
I love Sally’s answer:
God made me a certain way, with preferences for how I think, make decisions, order my life, and relate to others. (Clarkson 61)
Yes, he fearfully and wonderfully made me this way!
Sally describes herself like this as well – being an introverted, more reflective person, as opposed to a more extroverted, active-with-people person.
As a reflective person, it makes me just a little crazy to not have that time to reflect and ponder. When could there possibly be a time to reflect when my attention is constantly demanded?
This section prompted these questions:
♥ How can I make more time for myself?
♥ What can I do to recharge when I am in a noisy house all day/evening?
♥ I want to hear my precious children’s voices all day, and I’m so thankful for the ‘Mama!’ that I hear so often. But each day I need a period of quiet and stillness. How do I make that happen, Lord?
Journaling and Prayer
During this Seasons of a Mother’s Heart study with all of you, I’m journaling and praying as I read through each chapter.
As I read through the ‘Thoughts on the Living Word’ section (pages 67-68), I recorded a few of those questions/tasks in my journal.
♥ God’s Word gives me life, like a refreshingly cold drink of water to my soul. When I am revived, my mothering looks completely different – I’m patient, kind, gentle with my words, and more pleasant.
♥ I thanked God for my dear friend, who is an encourager and someone I can talk openly with about this chaotic homeschool life. I am so grateful the Lord put her in my life, as time with her is always a time of restoration! Her friendship is such an enormous blessing to me.
♥ While I know the Matthew 6 section on worry so well, I appreciated reading it all over again. I prayed for the Lord to help me resist running after what I need, but instead to rest in Him. I prayed for Him to remind me to seek Him first. Always.
What About You?
How did the Lord speak to you this week as you read through Chapter 3 of Seasons of a Mother’s Heart?
Did the Lord prompt your heart to have a more consistent quiet time?
Did He show you how to find rest, despite your circumstances?
Did He show you a verse that will be especially refreshing in the days to come?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on Chapter 3, so please leave your comments below!
xo
Seasons of a Mother’s Heart Book Club Chapter 2 – Changing My Will
I very much needed the quiet time today although at one point I wasnt sure what I needed. i just wanted to run away from everything. For me, the time of the month often leads to this needed escape. But Making time every day becomes a challenge. I try to wake up early and go for a peaceful walk or sit and have coffee and read. I just have to find a way to connect to God throughout the day – when I need it most. Any suggestions on how you recharge during the day?
How did the Lord speak to you this week as you read through Chapter 3 of Seasons of a Mother’s Heart? I am ashamed to admit it but lately I have been “blowing my top”, more often than I would like to admit. After reading this chapter I feel the Lord has tried to lead me as to why. I cannot keep giving, if I am not taking the time to rest in His word. I admit I get up every morning and read the bible. But I don’t meditate on it. And I am not making Him first. I will check my email and such before opening my bible. I find on the days when I do get it right and take the time to read, meditate and pray…..my day seems to go so much smoother. I can feel Him near me.
Did the Lord prompt your heart to have a more consistent quiet time? Yes! I too am one that needs my time alone to reflect and refill my spiritual well, and so (taking a tip from Sally) I am trying to sit down for tea (being Canadian, I used to have tea every afternoon, I am not sure why I ever gave it up) in the afternoon while the girls are playing and just read a bit of this book study or open a passage of proverbs for the day, or flip through a magazine that I was wanting to look at, I will put on some music via Pandora. I have noticed that being able to add all of these elements, plus being able to hear the girls laughing in the backyard has improved my ability to “be there” for my girls and my husband beyond what I thought I was able to do!
Did He show you a verse that will be especially refreshing in the days to come? Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Amanda, I can so relate to putting other things first (email, etc) before sitting down for my quiet time. The Lord has convicted me of that several times!
And I just love Ephesians 2:10. 🙂