Filling My Home with Love ~ 2 Corithians 8

Here we have a passage of Scripture that is most commonly used in stewardship messages (believe me, I would know). But I think there is a good underlying message here that can be applied to the home and family. Generosity is proof of the genuineness of one's love for others (vs. 8 & 24).

So, I ask myself, "Just how generous am I with my family? What do I have an "abundance" of that I can share with my husband and children?"

1. First, as a stay-at-home mom, I have an abundance of time. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty to do; and sometimes it seems as if there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done. However, I do not have to leave my home and family for 8+ hours every day. That is 8+ hours that I have that some women are not blessed with. That is 8+ hours that I have that J does not. What I decide to do with those 8+ hours says a lot about the genuiness of my love for my family. What do I give those hours to? Do I give them to my house, to my hobbies, to the computer? Or do I give them to the tasks that my husband feels are most important, to my children's hobbies and pass-times, to showing love to my family?
2. I may not be the most gifted mom around -- I'm not a sewer, crafter, or gardener. . . But God has blessed me with the ability to cook and bake well and to come up with creative ideas and to write. How I use those God-given gifts also speaks to the genuiness of my love for my family. Do I cook and bake to please myself or do I make what my husband and children love most? Do I allow the kids to help in the kitchen; do I take the time to teach them and share this love with them? Do I become a slave to my creative ideas and enslave my family under the heavy bondage of "plans"? Or do I allow my creativity to serve the family, making loose, flexible plans that the kids can enjoy and that J can change if he feels necessary? Do I spend too much time writing on this blog while neglecting home duties and my children's pleas for my attention? Or do I fit in my writing around their schedules and also prioritize time to write journals for them or love notes for J?
3. God has also blessed our family. We are by no means wealthy, but we have more than enough money to meet our needs. How do I spend that money? How do I budget out the household allowance? I don't think I spend the money unwisely, but I think it is wise to sit and ponder how the money is being spent. Am I ignoring advice from my husband about where and how to spend the money? Am I making sure that I am spending on things that will nurture and grow my children?

While it is important to share with my family what I have in abundance, it is also important to receive from them what they have in abundance. So, "What do I lack that I can allow my husband and children to share with me?"

1. I lack sleep -- no doubt about it. How great would it be to allow my husband to provide me with more sleep? It would make him feel great if I would just give him a solid suggestion as to how to ensure that I get more sleep. I know, based on conversation, that it is a need he wants to fill for me but just doesn't know how. It is a way that he could enjoy showing me just how much he loves me.
2. I lack confidence, boldness, and courage. They are just not part of my natural make-up. J, however is very confident, bold, and courageous. Often times these qualities make me embarassed. . . because of how lacking they are in my personality. If I could learn to find peace and rest in these qualities of his, J, in turn, would experience the joy of proving his love for me through his confidence.
3. I lack childlikeness. It slowly vanishes as I grow older. And, of course, my children have it in abundance. How they long to share their child-like whims and fancies and loves with me. So often I ignore or put off their requests to share these with me. I tell them that I have to do the dishes or the laundry first or I tell them that mommy is too tired to play. . . But they would experience the joy of showing love to me if I would allow them, and I would probably feel suddenly energized if I would only allow them to share their child-like energy with me.

As I seek to follow the commands of Christ and ask God to fill me with unconditional love for my family . . . and as I seek to put together the entire puzzle of unconditional love . . . leaving no piece out to the side . . . I will also seek to generously give to my family out of my abundance of time, talents, and money . . . and I will seek to receive generously of my family's abundance of sleep and rest, confidence and courage, and childlikeness.