Hi, stranger. I’ve obviously been delirious with all things summer. But between trips to the pool and layers of sunscreen and…reading — side note, have you read Francine Rivers’ Mark of the Lion series?! Good grief, so good — I’ve composed about four blog posts in my brain that now need to get “onto paper” before they disappear into the mental abyss called “homeschooling.”

{sigh} Homeschooling.

I don’t like that word. It feels so…serious. And pressure-ized. But the truth is, (and here we go with post number one) all parents homeschool. We all do it; some of us just include words like curriculum into our vocabulary. (Gag.)

 

 

We as parents, all feel the pressure that comes with training up other humans to be “successful” adults. However we define “successful.” But if you’re like me, some of the day-in, day-out of parenting can feel so…mundane. And tedious. And repetitive. And repetitive. And repetitive. As if there has to be some grander call for me to attend to in this thing called “my” life. As if my life is actually mine. Some call that includes a cape and leaping tall buildings in a single bound or something. Or at least a call where I can measure an ounce of success while in the throes of it.

Oh I know. Over these last eleven years of walking the parenting journey, I’ve known in my mind that the mundane of parenting isn’t actually mundane — that we as Christian parents are building the next generation and raising lovers of God. But often, I haven’t felt the weight of that call in my spirit. It was head knowledge that I’ve accepted and lived out of, but not a deep, heart conviction. At least, not until recently.

The only explanation I can give for the heart change I’ve noticed in me — the deeper conviction for the beauty and power of the seeming “mundane” moments — is that God has birthed it in me. Because I’m not that able. But recently, I’ve sensed it. I’ve sensed a deeper conviction to be fully present in the dailiness. Not that I do it perfectly because…y’all. It’s as if God is expanding my vision for my kids and growing my desire to sow seeds in love, in the seeming mundane of today, with the hope and expectation that He will one day bring the harvest. Because it’s the moments of today that add up to this thing called life.

 

By God’s grace, we sow seeds of His truth in love.
He (eventually, faithfully) brings the harvest.

 

How do we sow seeds? Well, we do it over scraped knees and hurt feelings. We ask God to let us see the heart behind the hands — to understand the “why” behind the clobber. And then we pour truth into the moment with the faith that we’re teaching the generation behind us how to depend upon and trust and love their Maker.

 

“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deuteronomy 6:6 – 6:7)

 

Recently when putting my kids to bed, I remembered something that one of my seminary professors taught me before I even had kids — one way to sow seeds in the mundane. He said, “Teach your kids theology through your bedtime prayers.” Sow seeds of truth before they close their eyes at night. Teach them God’s character and ways through the things you pray. Remind them of who they are in Christ and all He promises through prayer. So I’ve asked God to help me sow seeds at bedtime with prayers that are rooted in His Word:

“Father, reveal Your goodness to this child. Lord, help him recognize when the enemy is speaking lies. Lord God, help him take his thoughts captive to what’s true. Father, thank You that we’re called holy and righteous, not because of how good we can be but because of what Jesus did on the cross.” Sowing seeds. Trusting God to one day bring the harvest.

Parenting is straight-up…wow. It’s…just…wow, in the “Lord Jesus, help me, please. Mercy. Amen.” kind of way. But if God calls us to parent a child(ren) then He will equip us as we seek after Him. He can and will expand our vision and desire for the dailiness if we ask Him (and sometimes even if we don’t ask).

We purposefully press into our good God. We pursue His presence and His filling in our own lives. Then we take the truths He gives us and pass them on. We sow seeds through the mundane (and cray-cray) of everyday life, leaving the harvest to Him.

 
Fill me, Lord…

How do you sow seeds of truth in the dailiness of life?
How has God changed (or how do you want Him to change) your vision for the mundane of parenting?