this gracious life

I got the title for this site from 1 Peter 3:7, which reads: "Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers."  I often think with gladness and gratefulness that "gracious" is such a great way to describe this life... not because I am so very gracious, but because God is. The life that Keith and I share together - and now share also with our dear children - is such a gift of God's grace. I don't know if "this gracious life" is the best title for the site, but it's a title, and coming up with a title is so much work that I am just going to go ahead and be satisfied with it.

I'm reading a book called "Successful Christian Parenting" by John MacArthur. It is both profound and profoundly challenging. Although I have prayed, thought, talked, pondered, read, and researched much regarding being a good and godly parent, it is humbling to read this book and realize again how twisted my worldview is sometimes. The part that I am reading just now is emphasizing the incredible, fundamental, unshrinkable importance of teaching obedience to my children. Obedience to parents is the foundation of family and society; when it is not taught, families and societies fall apart. More than that, a child who fails to be taught obedience to parents will also find it difficult to respect others and to honor God. It is my deepest desire to model parenthood as my God has modeled it to me, and that includes discipline for the purpose of learning obedience.

I love being a mom. I think I am finally getting used to it. And yet every day there are new surprises and new challenges. Teaching obedience is one of these challenges. It is a part of the new discipline that I am learning for myself also - learning to walk out all that I believe and to do it all day, every day, so that my children may learn what is true and good. For now, I am going to call this blog "purposeful living," both because that is what I am seeking to do every day and also because I need that reminder when I look at this site and as I write on it.