Courageous

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell:  but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."  Joshua 24:15 (KJV)

Last night I finished reading the book Courageous.  I've heard all about how good the movie is, but I wanted to read the book before I watched it.  What an inspirational story, especially to those trying to raise children in today's times.

As it was approaching 2am last night & I was on my final pages when a line from the book stuck out like it was a golden rule.  "While so many mothers have sacrificed to help their children survive, they were never intended to carry the weight alone."  I bet I read this line 10 times before I moved on, each time more meaningful than before.  I find it so powerful & moving as a mother, I can only imagine how I would feel if I were reading it as a father.  It takes a man and woman to create a child, why wouldn't it take a man and woman to raise a child.  In the world today, mother's are usually "expected" to take care of the children while fathers are given the "option" to take care of children.  Now I have to say there are tons of single mothers & single fathers raising children and I give them HUGE props.  Its not easy to do with two parents, I can't even imagine how hard it is with one.  But I believe the ideal (not always realistic) circumstance for any child is an involved mother and an involved father.

But anyway, back to what I was saying.  I think I was moved by this one specific line so much for two reasons.  #1 There I was laying next to my husband who inspires me everyday.  He's not the guy who wakes me up in the middle of the night because a child is crying & needs something, he's the guy that rushes to the child to see what they need & what he can do to help.  He doesn't get first in line at dinner & devour his meal while Mom juggles to feed the kids, he takes a few minutes & feeds a child so Mom can have her first warm meal of the day.  Even as young as our children are, he spends time talking with our kids, learning about them, participating in things they like to do, but most importantly of them all, he takes time out of his busy day to teach them about the Lord, a task he has never taken lightly.  Although I come across as the one who runs the household, he truly remains Head of Household in keeping our aim on one focus - to serve the Lord.

And #2.  I couldn't help but to think of my own Dad.  All the things he sacrificed, how hard he worked over the years, how stern he was not because he wanted to be, because as a father he had to be (sure, I see that now.  didn't appreciate it much growing up though :)).  My parents did not have much starting out, but they've worked hard & God has blessed them through the last 32 1/2 years.  They knew about God, but didn't accept the Lord into their hearts until I was older.  Meaning I saw life before and after Christ in our lives, & I wouldn't turn back for anything.  My parents have shown us what a strong marriage & good parenting look like, & I hope I can now show those same things to my children each & every day.

The book Courageous is a blessing & I would highly recommend it to anyone, with kids or without.  I got more than just one line out of this book, I got 300+ pages of the Lord speaking to my heart & I hope with each passing day, he keeps molding my life & heart into what he wants me to be.  We've got a long way to go to be where we want to be, but I have no doubt by keeping the Lord in our hearts, we're heading in the right direction.

Many blessings to you & yours!
Happy Thursday. :)