Time Well Spent

If mothers make their homes places of excellence, cultivate reverence for and worship of God as well as love for each other, spend personal time teaching and discipling their children, serve them through this training and nurture, and give up their own time to accomplish all of this, there will be hope.

When mothers abandon this important responsibility, there is a greater tendency for children to become the kind of adults who are self-centered and self-serving and who overlook unrighteousness without any pang of conscience, because that conscience has never been developed. For effective parenting to occur, there must be hundreds—thousands—of dinners made, laundry loads run, backs scratched, and cookies baked. There must be watercolor projects and messes, hikes and games of hide-and-seek, wonderful lifegiving books and concerts and the theater. Time spent ministering to our children is time well spent, because that investment grants us the door to their hearts. When their hearts are soft to us because we have ministered to their needs, their minds will also be softened to hear our values, our convictions, and our guidance.

Moms, the way you invest your life today will indeed have a great impact on history. The cultivating and raising of great souls is of the utmost importance. Your life is making a difference. Spend time in the Word, read those books that call you to excellence, pray with friends of like mind—and don’t give up!

His Promises

And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

For their command is a lamp

and their instruction a light;

their corrective discipline

is the way to life.