desperate - chapters 3 & 4

I would love to personally speak to each person reading my blog and try just try to convey how amazing this book is.

Chapter 3 was titled 'Formulas Don't Always Work' and boy that can't be any truer.  We are all so specially and wonderfully created... no two people will fit in the same box - it just won't happen so why do we try with so many things... discipline, school, entertainment, love.... we are all special in God's eyes - our children should be uniquely special in our eyes as well.

Something that has been coming at me from numerous avenues lately has been the assurance that I am the perfect mom for the children that God has given me. He chose my husband and I to be the parents to these children because we were created to love them.  It's amazing when you think about it. And down right humbling.

Sally talks about seeing so many women living in fear today - fear of what others will think, fear of how they might ruin their children, fear of the expectations of others, fear of not filling all the areas of their child's life and I can honestly say AMEN!  We are going a different route then many in our family and friends circle with numerous areas and it's hard. It's hard sometimes to feel like you don't have the love and support and more importantly the encouragement that you are doing what's best for your children..... but we are - we are doing what we feel GOD has called us to and at the end of the day He is the only one I am accountable to.  He is the one I will report back to at the end of my life and He will ask - did you do what I asked you to do? Not what others thought you should be doing..... and my rewards will be based on my answer there.

Oh Chapter 4 - how I loved you... 'Oh Right, There's Sin'  This was a huge emotional breakthrough chapter for me. I get so discouraged when my children have a bad day..... and put them in public or in front of other people and I get down right near despondent over a bad behavior(s).  But right there..... why am I upset because good gravy they made me look bad... ah know what that is? PRIDE.... deep dark ugly pride - I want to look good and appear as a good mother and boom - out the window that goes.  Now I am not saying that it's ok that my children act that way but I am speaking towards my attitude and reactions towards it.... I am not concerned about their spiritual state here - I am convinced they are purposely out to destroy my 'image' that I want to create... my heart is not in the right place.

This is not a chapter that will give you freedom to not discipline and train your children - but it's a chapter that will help you to take a step back and realize that we are all sinners - all of us and we must give grace to our children just as God gives us grace - to help acknowledge that not one of us is going to be Christlike until we get to Heaven so every day is going to be a struggle, every day is going to be teaching and training our children, teaching and training ourselves to control our anger, selfishness, greed, laziness, etc.... We are all growing and changing each and every day. 

Seriously - buy this book for you and every mother you know! ;)