Saturday, March 6, 2010

top ten things i hope to teach my children

i've been thinking alot lately about mortality. i'm not sure why. maybe all the losses of the past year are catching up to me. specifically, what am i modeling for my children. not the words i am saying but the lessons i'm teaching with my everyday actions. that leads me to ask myself "what do i hope to teach them?"

10. a solid work effort~ not just at their jobs but within their family, their home and whatever they turn their attentions to. to work unto the Lord in everything they set their hands on.
If the power to do hard work is not a skill, it's the best possible substitute for it. -james garfield


9. joy~ to smile when times are hard, to encourage another even when you don't know the answers, to praise God even when you can't understand what He's doing. to find joy in the first day of spring and the smell of babies and kisses on the cheek and a good book and all the little things that make life worth living. to recognize all those small moments in the midst of the chaos that is our world.
Don't postpone joy until you have learned all of your lessons. Joy is your lesson. -alan cohen


8. determination~ to never give up! to never lay down and say "i'm done". to fight when there's no fight left, to keep going when no end is in sight. if i've learned anything from the trials in my life it's that the biggest battles are the ones that were most worth it.
When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. -franklin roosevelt


7. to help others, in big and small~ whether that be helping out a struggling family with groceries or simply opening a door for a stranger. there are countless chances every day to extend grace and kindness to others. each small thing adds up to making our world just a little better.
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. -anne frank


6. peace~ what an undervalued quality! to live peacefully with all you encounter... your neighbors, your cashier, your own family. to have peace when things are difficult. to believe that there is a plan and a future for your life when the world is telling you otherwise.
You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist. -ghandi


5. vision~ you can go through life without vision but your soul will suffer. to have something to strive for, to focus on and to live for. to know the mark you will leave on this earth and make it happen.
where there is no vision the people perish. proverbs 29:18


4. a sense of humor~ there are many moments throughout the day where we have a choice, will i laugh or will i cry? i choose to laugh. i hope my kids will do the same. if ever they wonder, they will have this blog archive to see that i did!
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. -e.e.cummings


3. hope~ anything can be endured when there is hope. as believers in Christ, we always have hope. when the earth offers no more solutions we still have the hope of eternity to set our eyes upon.
Once you choose hope, anything's possible. -christopher reeve


2. love for the unlovable~ it's easy to love those close to us, even hitler probably loved his mother! but to love those who haven't "earned" it, to love those who hate or persecute us, to love those who hurt our loved ones, that is truly the love of Christ.
I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love. -mother theresa


1. a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ~ i don't pray for them to be religious, i don't care where they attend church. i want them to experience the joy, fullness and beauty of an intimate walk with their Savior. without that none of these other things matter.
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. john 14:6

2 comments:

Unknown said...

And these are why I'm glad you're my child's sitter.

themrs said...

aww, thanks :) hope he's feeling better! i'm hoping to spend alot of time at the park this week !!