Turning Our Hearts

Malachi 4:6  And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

We certainly are living in a cursed nation.  Generally speaking, the hearts of parents are mostly towards their workplaces, their friends and their hobbies.  Children’s hearts focus on their peers, their selves and the world.  Our homes are cursed with brokenness, selfishness and a state of dysfunction.  If ever their were a time to cry out to the Lord, it is now.

This morning the Lord woke me early.  On my heart was a burden for my children.  I could easily have entitled this entry "The One Legitimate Downfall to Homeschooling" but not only would it have been too long {g} but I would have lost your attention before I even got a good start!

So, back to my morning wake up call and my children.  1G9 is almost ten years old ~wow~ by the world’s standards, she’s more than half raised!  That’s really sobering.  In all of our "homeschooling", I was forced to wonder what she’s really learned.  Oh, I’m not talking about academics.  I’m talking about the really important stuff.  Those things that matter.  Have I taught her compassion?  charity?  forgiveness? thoughtfulness?  dependability?  Does she see those character traits mirrored in me?  When she looks at me, does she see  Jesus?  Oh how I long for her to!  I long for each of my daughters to see the love of Christ reflected in my life. 

The truth of the matter is that I tend to get consumed with other things.  You know, those things that seem to be important at the moment.  As mothers, don’t we all tend to do that?   Homeschooling is more than a few hours a day spent teaching.  There are lesson plans, curriculum choices, research, enrichment ideas, field trip planning and let’s not forget HOUSEWORK!  I think that if we allow it, our hearts can easily be turned from our children and towards homeschooling. NOT how the Lord intended it.  Worst of all, our hearts begin to gradually turn while we’re not even looking. 

Hey, guess what I realized this morning?  I really love my children ~  I have GREAT children!!!  I long to truly know them…what’s in their hearts!  As mothers, we desperately need to stop seeing our children as things to be managed and look at them as big people in little bodies that will one day be a product of our time, actions and attitudes.  We need to turn our hearts to them….before it’s too  late. 

 

Mama, where is your heart?

© Adorning Grace 2010