The Most Magical Place on Earth
Is your home the most magical place on earth? No, I am not asking if you live at Disney Land. How seriously do you take having fun with your kids? Do you even know what they consider fun?
I recently read a short devotional about taking fun seriously and being intentional about taking the time to enjoy life with your children. This really convicted me.
Generally, my idea of fun is pulling weeds from my garden, planting a new flower bed, or trying out a new bread recipe. Anything that is still accomplishing a beneficial task that I can check off my never-ending to-do list. Somehow, I don’t think those things always align with my kids’ ideas of fun.
Give Yourself Permission
As a mom, I have struggled to allow myself to take the time to do “meaningless” activities. I always feel the need to be efficient. Work. Get things done. Don’t waste a second.
I am learning that, like all things in life, there is a balance. One can play too much, as we see a lot in today’s society. However, one can also be so focused on accomplishing tasks that they cease to enjoy the abundant blessings the Lord so graciously bestows on them each day.
Mom Stress is Real
Being a mom has its stresses to be sure. Are we raising our kids right? Teaching them everything they need to know? Protecting them, but not over-sheltering them? Feeding them the right foods? Taking them to the right Dr.? Immunizing or not immunizing? Public, private, or homeschool? Sports? 4-h? Youth group? The list goes on and on.
With everything we have to decide every day, how could we possibly take time to play with our kids?
When we take the time to laugh and enjoy life, it really is a testament to our faith in God. How can you laugh if you’re worried? How can you stay stressed if you’re thanking God?
Scripture Says…
The scripture has a lot to say about laughter and enjoying life. I just chose a few to share here.
Proverbs 17:22 “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
Being happy has a physical effect on our bodies. Consider it a daily dose of vitamins.
Proverbs 31:25 “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.”
The ancient proverbian is speaking about a godly, virtuous woman here. One that we would do well to aspire to be like. He says, “She laughs at the time to come,” Some versions say, “She smiles at the future” or, “She is cheerful about the days to come.” Can we be cheerful about the future if we are stressing about money, health, jobs, etc?
Psalm 126:25 “Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; they they said among the nations (non-believers) ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ “
Our cheerfulness can be a great witness of God’s goodness to others. We have a greater chance of telling others about the Gospel (the good news of Jesus) if we show how good we believe it is!
We have an enemy that would make us feel life’s weight every moment. He would love to keep us in the miry pits of stress, doubt, and insecurity.
Fight this battle with a joyful spirit!
Golden Opportunity
As moms, we have the opportunity every day to show, teach, and mold the minds and hearts of future generations. What do we want them to learn from us? How to doubt and worry? or, how to trust God and truly hand their lives over to him; living life with a cheerful outlook? I know which one I choose!
In this demanding occupation called motherhood, we often take life and mothering too seriously- failing to enjoy the journey!
The Proverbs 31 woman didn’t rejoice in the days to come because she knew some special secret. No, she rejoiced because she trusted in the One who is in control. Her creator. Her God. Her Savior.
Be At Ease
We can be at ease knowing that the God who holds our future- our children’s futures, our grandchildren’s futures- also holds our hands today. He is the ultimate power, none can even compare to Him! Let us remember that who He is changes who we are.
I encourage you to join me in my journey of intentionally (that means planning) having more fun with my kids. Play a card or board game, ride bikes or horses together, find funny faces in the clouds, go for a walk, watch a movie together, and then quote funny lines to each other later on.
I am striving to create a haven of joy and peace that my kids want to be in!
So give yourself permission to join me on the “fun challenge”. Leave a comment on one way you plan to have fun with your family this week.
Thanks for reading, and, as always, be blessed!
Friend,
If you’re reading this and you don’t know our God. If you haven’t been covered by the blood of Jesus and been given his Holy Spirit as a comforter, please reach out! He is waiting for you and wanting for you to accept his FREE gift of salvation. Don’t wait. It is THE most important decision you will ever make. Make it today.
With love,
Mollie
Meet Mollie
Mollie is a lover of Jesus above all. She loves her husband and family and enjoys gardening, teaching, piano, riding, and farming. She lives in SW Colorado with her husband and five kids.