How NOT to miss a childhood!

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Recently I found a blog that so resonates with my theme for the year…simplify and love. This blog is called Hands Free Mama and was begun by a mom who came to the realization that her electronic gadgets were consuming her life and she wasn’t really “living” at all. Life was just happening while she was busy texting, Facebooking, emailing, calling, etc. She was missing out on life…missing out on her children.

Here are a couple posts that have really spoken to me. Please take the time to stop now and read these, then come back here:

How to Miss a Childhood

The Children Have Spoken

I think one of the reasons that the Lord has me on this journey to simplify is so that I don’t miss out on my children’s lives.

I want to be present with my children…really present…not in another world of technology while in their presence.

I want my children to know how very special they are by my actions not only by my words.

Reading the responses of these children in the above post (The Children Have Spoken) just broke my heart. At the same time, I wonder what my children would answer to these questions. I’m not sure I would like the answers.

Coming across this blog and these posts confirms again the same message the Lord has been putting in front of me…live in the real world…don’t neglect those that the Lord has put in my life (esp. my children and husband)…live in the present, not in the past or future, but in each moment of today…really get to know my children and meet their needs…learn to really love.

I could go on and on but I think you get the picture.

The Lord has given these children to me to love, to teach, to disciple, to really know. Am I?

I could relate to a few too many examples listed in the “How to Miss a Childhood” blog post linked to above. But I want my life to be like the second part of that blog post…the “How to Grasp a Childhood”.

I like the word grasp….it gives the impression of having to expend energy and effort to take hold of something. That is what I have to do with my children. It will involve energy, effort, sacrifice, to take hold of their lives in the “today” that God has given me. Not worrying about the future or beating myself up over parenting failures in the past, but counting each day as a “present” given to me by God to cherish and enjoy.

I pray that this challenges you as it has challenged me…again. Life is so short. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. Let’s live today fully…counting each moment as the present that it is…and in the process learn to really love our children.