Heavenly Mothering is Aware -Day 3

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night."Luke 2:8 KJV

Often, a shepherd scene depicts men in robes standing quietly in a field. Although this might have been a part of being a shepherd, there were also the moments, as depicted in the story of David, when a shepherd was fighting off a bear or a lion.

As mamas we are called to be aware of what lions our young children are facing and set up protective boundaries so that they can safely grow and develop. As they grow, the boundaries we have set up will help train their tastes so that one day they can make good choices for themselves. Being aware and watchful over our flock is an essential part of Heavenly Mothering. 

God calls us to a life of faith, but living by faith doesn't mean letting our children raise themselves. We stay aware of what our children watch, who they interact with and where they go. They are our sheep and a good shepherd is watchful and aware lest a wolf steal in and devour their sheep. While they are young, we are training them to recognize what is safe and what isn't, and training them to appreciate true beauty so that they can reject counterfeits. 

In our family, this means that we listen to many genres of music but we keep lyrics clean and edifying and stay away from harsh styles.

This means that we make careful choices about what movies or shows we watch and generally keep the T.V. off so that our children can develop their imagination.

This means that we homeschool our children so that we have the maximum amount of time possible to teach our children an appreciation for true beauty and the freedom to pursue intimacy with God. 

Being aware means making sure that our children are being introduced to true beauty so that they will recognize counterfeit beauty when the time comes.

What resources do you use to teach your children about beauty? What common parts of culture to you reject as you stay aware?

For the rest of my series on Heavenly Mothering, click here.