As parents, we get caught up in the “work” of raising children. It is so easy to do. Wake up – Make breakfast – Pack lunch – Pick out clothes – Check backpacks – “Are teeth brushed?” – “Am I snack Mom this week?” – Wait “Do their shoes match?” – “Shoot I’m late!” – “Where is my child?” – “Why did you take your shoe off?!” – “Let’s go!”
Photo Credit via Jason Mrachina
Can you relate?
I get so busy keeping all the balls in the air that sometimes I forget the most important thing of all. Right now I am creating the future. “Busy”ness is the enemy of mindfulness. If we are so busy raising children that we forget to be mindful of the adult we’re creating, we are losing. Every kind word I say to my child sews a seed of hope for tomorrow. Every minute I spend teaching grace and love lays a foundation for a better World tomorrow.
We are tired of the state of our Country. We complain about the atrocities of the World. How are we changing it? Are we doing our part? Those kids who sleep down the hall, they are the future. How are we shaping it?
The foundation of the health of the child is the health of the home. The foundation of the health of the home is the health of the heart. Are our hearts healthy? Do we love ourselves first? The love that flows in our lives starts within us. If we aren’t investing in self-love and caring for ourselves, we are an empty vessel with nothing to give. Are we authentic? Do we model grace? We cannot complain there are no good men when we aren’t mindfully raising good men. The formula is not that difficult:
- Be Real.
- Take Care of Yourself
- Speak Kindness
- Discipline (even when it hurts and is wildly inconvenient)
- Turn Off the TV
- Forgive Imperfections (yours and theirs)
- Pray Hard
- Show Love Always
- Eat Well
- Listen.
The idea of “changing the world” seems so big and grandiose. It seems like more than we can ever accomplish. It isn’t. We can change the world one child at a time. To say there is no hope is to perpetuate a lie. If we believe the World is too far gone, we are choosing to invest in the lie. The children in our lives are the blank slate of the future. We can write on it whatever we choose and, in that, the future is ours to create.