Tonight I watched the movie Courageous.

The heart of the movie was to encourage fathers to be intentional with their children: to give them their time and train them up to be responsible, to have integrity, and to love the Lord. But the movie encouraged my mama-heart as well.

I want to be an intentional mother. I don’t want to look back on my life in fifteen years and have a grieving spirit because I wasn’t intentional. I want to be a mother who is resolved in teaching and training my children, cultivating the garden of their souls (as Sally says), and investing my time in the things they enjoy. I want to love them well, and love is an action, not a feeling. I feel great depths of love for my children, but if I don’t show it in actionable ways, it will prove to be only a shadow of real love.

When I was younger and living with mom (my parents are divorced) I used to beg her to quit drinking. I would say, “Aren’t I more important than your alcohol?” No matter how many times she told me she loved me, it was all just hollow for me because I saw her day in and day out choose the drink over me. And when she drank, she was mean, and didn’t act like a mother should. She didn’t act like a mother on the day I cut myself by accident while washing the dishes. The knife sliced into my thumb, straight through to the nerves. It wouldn’t stop bleeding and I asked my mom to take me to the hospitable for stitches, but she wouldn’t. I wrapped my thumb with bandaids, and when those didn’t stop the bleeding I wrapped it in paper towels thick and put tape around it, but in the morning it was still bleeding. I never got stitches, and now every time I hit my thumb on something I’m reminded of that day because of the sharp pain that goes through my thumb when I hit it the wrong way. The scar on my thumb is a reminder of the scars on my heart. I believe she loved me, but her love was not evident to me because it wasn’t actionable.

I wonder what my love looks like to my children? I wonder if my love is evident through my daily actions. I wonder what their memories will be of me in fifteen years. I wonder what will stand in the forefront of their minds when they think of me. I wonder what legacy I will leave them with one day.

“One day” is all governed by the every days.

And the every days are often boring days, long days, hard days, tired days. It’s easier to try and escape by going on the computer or cleaning or doing something other than taking part in the mundane and making it beautiful and alive for myself and my children.

I need resolve to keep going; I need resolve to be diligent in being a life-giver, in teaching, training, and loving my babies well.

Therefore I’ve decided to write myself up a resolution.

My Mama-Resolution

“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” 1 John 3:18 (ESV)

I resolve, before God and by His grace, to intentionally bring up my children in the training and instruction of the Lord.

I will give my children my time and attention during the day.

I will read to them out of God’s Word and do my best to teach them how to love God with all their heart, mind, and soul.

I will be kind and compassionate, and sensitive to their needs and their age (knowing I will make mistakes and have God’s grace to keep on).

I will help them to face their sin, go to God, and accept forgiveness and grace. I will remind them that they can never lose my love, and if they know God, they can never lose His love.

I will do my best to respect to my husband, especially in front of my children.

I will play dollies, dragons, ponies, games, or do projects with my children.

I will take them on adventures and show them the wonder of God through nature and art.

I will teach my son to be a gentlemen, to be brave, to serve, to protect the weak, to care for others sacrificially, and to do whatever God leads him to do, by faith. I will trust my husband to teach my son to be a man.

I will teach my daughters to be strong and dignified, to be brave, to serve, to protect the weak, to care for others sacrificially, and to do whatever God leads them to do, by faith.

I will pay attention to my children’s bents so I can nurture them in developing their giftings.

I will pray for my children every day.

I will tuck my children in with songs, blessing, and prayers every night. I will try to remember just how fast these years go.

“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.” 1 Corinthians 9:19 (ESV)

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 (ESV)

…

Will you join me in being resolved? Sure, some of your resolutions might look different from mine, but would you commit to being intentional with your children?

Let’s commit ourselves to giving the first fruits of our time to building into the eternal souls in our care.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” Deuteronomy 6:5-7

My mom wrote the following post in August of 2009. She went home to Jesus on 4/23/16.

The people who walked in
darkness
Have seen a great light
Those who dwelt in the land of
the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.
Isaiah 9:2

The above verse exemplifies nicely the beginning of an incredible new journey that began when the doctor announced I had only two days of life left within me. According to him, the cirrhosis of my liver had progressed to the point of no return, and there was nothing that could be done. Thus, I began on my path in the shadow of death, leading me daily away from the darkness and towards the light; the most unexpected, spirit-filled, eye-opening, gracious, joyous journey I have ever had the pleasure to experience. So powerful is my journey that it is impossible for the mind to wrap around, no words to express the many endowments.

Jesus is with me every step of the way, and the truths he uncovers for me each day are overwhelmingly awesome. It is no less than a miracle that is happening within me due to his teachings. I am surely and truly blessed by God’s grace.

I had unknowingly taken the first step of my mysterious journey a few weeks earlier when I heard “The Voice” in my living room as I posed to take the first drink of the day, the usual, Vodka and 7Up. “The Voice” commanded me to put that drink down – you do not need it, do not want it, do not even like the taste of it….this was so powerful and true that I knew then it was the Voice of God, and I listened. Without taking a sip I rose from the couch, the untouched drink in my hand, headed to the kitchen sink and poured it down the drain. Yes, I listened.

My hard drinking began somewhere in the mid-1980s, and barely a day went by without the ritual of preparing a drink and then drinking one after another until I was done for the evening. It had become routine, and I did not question the reasons.

I can proudly say that I have not had a drink since that “Day of The Voice”. It has been over a year now and I no longer covet a drink. I have walked away from the darkness and into the light. That happened two weeks before my encounter with the hospital. Praise The Lord. I believe with all my heart that if I had taken that first gulp of liquor,  mid-July 2008, I would have dropped dead then and there and left a shameful legacy for my two precious daughters, Sarah Mae and Keitha Marie. Praise Jesus, he saved them from that.

Well, that is the beginning of my story, a story my first-born child, Sarah, insisted must be written. There is plenty more – my life before being saved and after being saved is chock full of a plethora of all kinds of stuff!

Thanks for listening, God bless you and keep you,

Susan Lynn Sherman Van Deilen Clark Messer Potts, the mother of a most precious and special daughter, Sarah Mae.

DONE!

We are done, done, DONE with the 31 Days to Clean challenge! :)

Whew! My house is pretty clean, and it is certainly more organized!

Now that we are done, I have a little announcement...

Remember when I told you that 31 Days to Clean would also be available in a paperback, and then it wasn't. And remember WAY back when I signed a contract with Tyndale to publish 31 Days to Clean and then it never happened? Some background: In 2012 I signed a contract with Tyndale to publish 31 Days to Clean. But as I was working on it, I just felt like it wasn't something I was ready to publish. I think my exact words were something like, "It will kill my soul if I have to talk about write and talk cleaning, can I please write something different?" Drama much? Obviously. Anyway, my gracious editors at Tyndale agreed to let me write something different, which I did, and which you will see soon. Fast forward to December 2014 and OH MY GOODNESS my home was out-of-control. I felt overwhelmed by it and I couldn't seem to keep up with the housework. I decided then to revive 31 Days to Clean because I NEEDED IT. Hence, the revised version.

As I worked through the challenge for a second time, I realized that not only is this book important because it is helping women practically, but the soul aspect of the book is important because it leads women towards freedom, identity, and peace. I have actually come to love the book. So instead of publishing it in paperback form, I went back to Tyndale and asked them if they would still be willing to publish it. THEY SAID YES.

So here's what's going to happen: I am going to pull it from Amazon tomorrow (April 1st - DONE). Then I am going to work more on the challenges, deepening the Mary challenges and making the Martha challenges more doable for the everyday woman. I am excited about this because I am not only revising it (again) for you, but for me; it has to make sense for the woman who doesn't spend all day cleaning (and doesn't want to).

Having a Martha Home the Mary Way: 31 Days to a Clean House and a Satisfied Soul is set to hit shelves March 2016.

Want to Pre-Order it? Just click HERE!

I am so excited about this project and can't wait to have it in your hands. FINALLY.

Thank you all who have been a part of the journey; it is you who have made this little book so successful.

Now...back to work! ;)

(And by back to work I mean back to bed because I am STILL sick and so is my sweet Caroline.)

Love, SM

I have not finished the laundry room. Or the kitchen cabinets, because SICKNESS. But I'm feeling a bit better and am going to give it a go since today is project day (or, you know, catch-up day)! I especially want to finish because I have some news for you all on Monday! ;) Come back then...

After Pics!

The after pics of the laundry room are HERE! :)

The Online Friends Who Clean Together, Stay Together

Or something like that.

If you want to join the challenge using your social media channels, use the hashtag #31DaysToClean. I'll be posting updates on my Facebook page, Instagram account, and Twitter account! Also, if you are blogging through the challenge, feel free to leave the direct link to your blog post in the comments!

Love, SM

Click HERE to see all the posts in this series!

Today we are cleaning out the cabinets! Don’t fret, you are not pulling all the dishes out and dusting the cabinets. This is if you have a cabinet that you want organized, you know, like the cabinet that has all the random stuff in it? That one, clean that one. Or if you're feeling a little more ambitious, perhaps you'll tackle TWO cabinets. I'm going to give it a go!

After Pics!

Coming later!

The Online Friends Who Clean Together, Stay Together

Or something like that.

If you want to join the challenge using your social media channels, use the hashtag #31DaysToClean. I'll be posting updates on my Facebook page, Instagram account, and Twitter account! Also, if you are blogging through the challenge, feel free to leave the direct link to your blog post in the comments!

Love, SM

Click HERE to see all the posts in this series!