Month of Thankfulness: Day 6

Today I am thankful for the flexibility of being able to stay home with my girls (and future little one). While obviously there are times where it would be nice to have a two income family, I can honestly say that I wouldn't trade the ability to be the one to raise our children, to teach them, to influence them, to spend special time bonding with them for a little extra financial freedom. To me, the time I am spending with these little beings that have been entrusted to my care cannot be replaced with money. It is worth so much more than anything money can buy. (Besides, this is a season. When they are older, we can become a 2 income family that will allow us to help them through college, and be able to bless them by spoiling our future grandchildren.)
The time that I am with them now is laying the foundation of who they will be when they grow up. What kind of adults will they be? What kind of parents will they be? Will they love God and strive to follow His word? Will they make a difference in their world? These are things that matter in the long run - not what brand clothes or shoes they wear now, or whether or not they had the best toys, or grew up in the largest, fanciest house, or even rode in a brand new car. These things are merely material possessions that just don't matter in the long run. What does matter are the values I am able to instill in them when we have our moments together; the lessons I am able to teach them as we explore the world together; the chance for them to see these lessons being modeled out for them by their parents; the relationship that is created allowing them to feel safe, secure, and able to trust their parents. It is my hope and prayer that all of this effort now will help them as they grow and make wise choices.
As I stated earlier, this is a season. My babies will only be little for a little while. This season will leave us all too quickly. I want to be able to soak up all the time I possibly can with these precious souls. To make my mark on their lives. And to do my best to be a good steward of the responsibility God has placed before me. I know without a shadow of a doubt that God has created me to be a mom and a homemaker. And while I am no where perfect at this job and I know I have SO much to learn still, I know that I am exactly where I need to be. This is exactly the job God has called me to be. And if He has called me, He will equip me. I have already seen how He has provided for us as a one income family - even when times seem tight. I know He will continue to bless and provide for us as we try to model our family after the design He created just for us. And for this, I am very thankful!

Please note: I completely understand that this is not ideal for every family. I fully respect moms and dads who work hard to support their families - whatever that looks like for their individual family.
There is no one-size-fits-all for families. This post was simply me expressing what I feel God has planned for my specific family and how I see this played out in our own personal situation.