Dear Ones,
Hope you wake to a wonderful day! Today is the day we plan to get to Mark’s and we will be leaving Knoxville to go to Statesville, N.C. So excited!  I had another great swim and time to read and write at the hotel yesterday.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
On our trip I read another book, a small remarkable book called Domestic Monastery, and I was so intrigued by the author’s comments as I have had some similar thoughts. I have always considered the home as the most important place for children to be introduced to the Lord, to grow in His love and begin to discover what the Lord may be calling them to do. That makes our homes a very special place, almost like a monastery.
  The author’s definition of a monastery is “a place set apart for people to give their lives over completely to the love of God…It is also a place to learn the value of powerlessness and a place to learn that time is not ours but God’s” The monk has a very disciplined life of prayer and when the monastery bell sounds, he is to stop that moment and go on to what is next on their schedule. It could be for prayer, or time to study, go to a service or even work, but he stops and goes on to the next task when he hears the bell. He is obedient and may not always be what he has in mind to do but he obeys.  It sounds a bit like a mother with small children. She has in mind what she would like to accomplish during the day but so often children interrupt the plans, as they need to be fed, bathed, wounds bandaged, scabbles settled etc. In many ways she her life is interrupted by her constant contact with her children and meeting their needs. Each parent has to put aside their own needs so much of the time and it becomes a time to learn empathy and unselfishness, The parent’s needs become secondary and there is a lot of dying to self.
   Carl Carretto, spent many years in the Sahara Desert alone praying but he shared that his mother who spent 30 years raising children was much more unselfish and contemplative than he was. Raising children is a perfect setting if we want to live a contemplative life for our time is not our own but second place. If you are a parent reading this, raising children can be a powerful means to holiness and maturity for it helps break our continual bent towards selfishness. Our hearts get stretched of self-love to be more like God’s love. Let us let our homes be a school of love!
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to help you let go of self-gratification so that your heart may be more open to love.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy