Welcome to Day #2 of the Intentional Mothering Series!

I am pleased as punch to introduce Lisa D. to you.  We had the absolute privilege of meeting Lisa and her husband through camp ministry.  It has been a joy to watch their family step out in faith and follow God even when it does not make sense to others.  I was so blessed by this honest and heart-stirring blog post that Lisa wrote on her blog, that I asked her if we could re-publish it for this series.

What a foundational topic to kick things off…

Does Your Family Get Your Best?

We hear a lot of being our best and looking our best.  However, God has been teaching me lately about GIVING my best to my family, and in turn, teaching our children to give each other their best.

Think about it.  You work hard.  Your job gets the best times of your day.  Your best strength and energy.  The best of your patience.

Your friends get the best “special” meals.  Your neighbor gets the best.  Your teacher gets the best.  The Sunday School class you teach gets the best.  Your friend that needs you to care for her children gets your best.
 
ALL of those things in and of themselves are great.  Don’t get me wrong. We are CALLED, commissioned, charged to do all of that (see 1 Corinthians 12).

BUT, when is the last time you gave your family your best?  I am talking 100% attention. The energy you normally reserve for company, for work, for the ‘big life stuff’.

Sorry, kind of harsh.  But I am in this just as much as the next person.  Serious conviction.

How different would our relationships with our children look if gave we them a ’drop everything’ mindset?  Offering them the same lavished love and attention that we give our friend that needs us in crisis?

How different would our marriages look, if we prized our spouses with as much care, concern, and respect as we do while teaching about it to a friend in a struggling marriage/relationship?

Our family shouldn’t get the leftovers.  Leftover time.  Leftover energy.  Leftover money.  Leftover talents and abilities.

God put us in a family, our exact families, for a reason.

Are there seasons for everything? Yes.

Is it okay to let it all hang out at home? Yes.

Should your family always come first, without exception? Nope.

BUT, if your spouse and your children are always “losing” to everything and everyone on the schedule consistently.  It’s time for an adjustment.

I have been chewing on this for about a month.  Trying to walk it out, see what it looks like in our home.  It’s hard.  Don’t get me wrong.  But it’s worth it.  Showing your spouse and your children a lifestyle of “YOU get my best” is life-changing.

There is a phrase I have been using with my children when something goes less than ideal between them.  ”Was that your best? Are you giving _________ your best?”  It really challenges them to look at their heart behind things.

Costumed Ice Cream Run = Priceless

And in turn the Holy Spirit has been asking me in situation after situation “Lisa, was that your best?

Are you giving your husband and/or your children your best?”  Whoa, challenging.
Because most of the time, I have to answer “no”.  I missed it.

God help teach me what this looks like.
 
Growing right along with you,

Lisa

Lisa is a beautiful person inside and out.  She is a committed wife and intentional mother of three children (2, 4, and 6). From corporate life to motherhood to full-time Christian Camping Ministry, it’s been a wild ride!

Follow her journey at: Our Walk In The Woods

Deep Breaths:

1.  Set the timer for 5 minutes and spend some quiet time with the Lord.  Reflect on this idea of giving your family your best. 

2.  Ask the Lord for wisdom on one simple action step you can do today to improve on this area 
(don’t get bogged down here, and don’t let the guilt monster start
gabbing either).  It may be as simple as getting down on
your child’s level and looking them in the eye while they talk… or
offering a round of “free hugs” before nap… or cooking together (someone’s
favorite meal) “just because”.

3.  We would love to hear one simple thing that you did to apply this concept today (please consider sharing in the Comments Section below).