I’m really loving learning from the book MISSION OF MOTHERHOOD.  I love the group of ladies I study with! Felt very convicted by this quote.

Jesus was such an example of how a servant leader ought to be! “Not only had he told them that whoever wanted to be first must be a servant to all but he had also shown them personally what servant leadership was all about.  they had experienced the depth of his sacrificial love firsthand and had been changed by it. ”  I can’t just TELL my kids what to do, I must SHOW THEM!  Be an example by deeds not just words.

I loved how she was explaining to plan ahead (page 67) for interruptions of daily life, because we are to serve our family through them.  Expect the problems and needs to come up and be ready to deal with them IN PEACE instead of impatience and resentment.  “He had left his throne in heaven to humbly serve us on earth.  He gave an example to follow.  He gave HIS LIFE so that others might live”  Thank you Jesus!

I need to be a better servant leader.  Willing to lay down my life and take hold of motherhood whole hearted EVERY DAY! I like when she talks about the most important years of her life…. taking care of her young children! They aren’t intrusions, they are little blessings that need training up and it takes work and effort from a willing Mom ready to tackle the job!

How sad that so many people RESENT their children.  God doesn’t want us to resent them for taking up time in our life.  We are suppose to give it up out of our LOVE for our Father in Heaven.  I do have to admit that “I would become irritated or frazzled by their whining or clinging to me or crying.  Sometimes it seemed that my children purposely thwarted my plans”  I have felt this same thing before, and felt guilty reading this part 🙁  I get so frustrated at times with the whining and complaining and constant…. but I’m working on that as well. And when she talks about jobs that need to be done again, and again…. Bottom of page 70. The everyday cleaning over and over again….  Isn’t that true? “Instead of understanding that this was NORMAL and that how I handled it would make a world of difference in their lives…..” She finally realized that early childhood was just a season, a FAST season.  I’m starting to really realize this myself! “I could see how important it was to enjoy each day and treasure these moments of early life with my children, because they years did pass quickly.  How I wished I could take back all the impatient words I had said, all the guilt I had imposed on my older children just because they were acting their age and taking up my time.  Fortunately they remember mostly the good times and not my immature responses to their normal behavior.”  I think with Luke I’ve been cherishing moments much more than I did with the other boys.  All the little things that will go away soooo fast.  Its a choice I have to make.  “to embrace the task of mothering, partly because I have come to terms with the natural demands children make on my time, but mostly because my attitude has changed”

Wow, I’m sorry for being so long winded.  I really liked this chapter and got a lot out of it.  LOTS of information and good quotes! “SERVING WITH JOY in the midst of messes and difficulty can only be done when we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.  When we are joyful and see each minute with our children as an opportunity to worship God through our service of him, our children sense our joy and feel secure and happy”  One of the best quotes in this chapter and very convicting as well “When I model patience in the midst of difficulty, joy in the midst of messes, contentment in the midst of lack, then I provide them a pattern for their own lives.  They will learn that my joy is not circumstantial but REAL because I have an endless source of strength through the Power of the Holy Spirit in my life!”

My attitude has a big effect on my kids! If I want to be a servant leader then I need to make every effort to respond in faith and turn to the Lord for guidance and not wallow in negative feelings! Loving our children with our WHOLE HEART is a choice, a daily choice.  “If we faithfully plant seeds of LOVE and CARE in their hearts, in due time we will indeed reap a harvest in kind”

 I liked the idea on page 77… to say YES to their requests.  Often times they ask me to play or do this or that, and I’m busy with the house, laundry, dinner etc… I really want to STOP and make that time to throw the ball, read, play a game or just listen to them.  The foot washing thing, might be fun to try too sometime.

Highly recommend this book to all Mothers! 🙂 Do you feel convicted reading any of these quotes? I love when God takes study’s like this to teach and show us things in our life!