Simply Nourished: A Recipe for Parenting Do you know I go on a daily morning date? And it is not with Eric! Oh my! I don't even have to leave my home for this date although in the summer I venture out to the back yard. This date is one of my favorite parts of my day. Partly because it involves a cup of tea but most importantly because of who I spend this time with. You may be wondering who I date in the morning. I have a date with the Trinity: my heavenly Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The first step in nourishing your children is nourishing yourself spiritually. Look back with me at Deuteronomy 6:4-7, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength..." How do we love the Lord? We can answer this question by answering this question. How do we express love to our family and friends? We spend time with them. Spend time with your Lord. Invest in this relationship and it will have ripple affects into other relationships. One way to invest in this relationship is through daily time in Bible reading and prayer. After doing a few morning tasks, I put a kettle of water on to boil. I put a bag of green tea into a mug and fill it with the boiling water, do a few more morning tasks while it steeps and then my date begins. I take my mug of steaming tea out to the couch facing our front window, pull up the blinds and watch the glory of God displayed in the colors of the rising sun in the stillness of the morning. I open my devotional, currently The Way of Abundance by Ann Voskamp. I read the daily passage and make time to answer the reflection questions (ugh, reflection, now we are getting personal.) Then I offer up incense in the form of gratitude and prayer as I write out my prayers in my journal. Did you know our prayers rise to God as incense. They are a pleasing scent rising up to God. "My prayer is set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be the like evening (morning :) sacrifice." Psalm 141:2. This date with God is transformational and prepares my heart and mind for the day. He meets me here. He draws near and speaks to my mind and heart. He changes my often negative perspective to a positive one. Do I want live in ungratefulness or gratitude? Do I want to live in fear or faith? Do I want to live with selfishness or a servant's heart? I want choose gratitude, faith, and a servant's heart so I make it a priority to spend time loving God with all my heart, soul and mind so I can go out and serve him with all my strength. Do you desire to nourish your children? Begin with nourishing yourself with a daily date with God. Some tools I use to help me specifically pray for Eric, Hannah and Abby. I was so excited at college freshman orientation to get a new calendar for Hannah (It's the little things that make a BIG impact!)
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AuthorI am a woman who loves everything about making a house a home. I enjoy meal planning, cooking, baking, sewing, crafting, and decorating. Not so much cleaning and laundry, but that goes along with caring for a home. I am blessed to be married to a pastor and we have had the privilege of raising two daughters. Archives
July 2021
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