I’ve recently been encouraged by Jean Fleming’s words in A Mother’s Heart: A Look at Values, Vision and Character for the Christian Mother (NavPress, 1982). On page 30, Fleming writes:

Anyone who has tried to lead a Bible study while keeping a toddler entertained or to counsel a distraught friend while a baby cries in the background knows how difficult it can be. We [mothers] need to remind ourselves and each other that our family is our prime ministry and not a frustrating obstacle to “real” ministry.

At the end of the chapter, Fleming encourages moms to write out specific applications for one of the following goals. Instead, I chose to write out the goals, and post them on my fridge, as reminders of the scope of my job as a mother. Though the discipline aspect seems to loom greatly on my mind these days, there is sooo much more to parenting than that. These points remind me of how much I love being a mom to Livia.

• Teach my children what is good
• Enrich their lives with beauty
• Train them in obedience and respect
• Stimulate their interests
• Encourage them to attempt new things
• Pray with them