Running and Child Rearing

I have started back to running again. I feel better when I exercise. God gave me a passion for it years ago and I love the times when I can do it because I get to spend time praising and praying Him. However, I can always find ways to not do it and can always find excuses to stop before my goal. But, when I accomplish my goal, I am so thrilled. Tonight as I was running, four words kept pounding in my heart: Passion, Persistence, Discipline, and Consistency.

All of these words reminded me of WHAT I NEED to do to get back into a routine of running. God also brought to mind child rearing and how these words related to my calling as a mom. I realized that these things are WHAT I AM LACKING in my day to day routine with my children. Running is hard work and it’s easy to stop before the goal is met. Child rearing is so much harder and I can easily give up or take the easy way out. When I have this attitude, I lose my passion in being a mom, I lack persistence to complete my tasks at hand and to train my children for godliness, I do not discipline myself (no schedule, eat junk, am not in the Word, not teaching them the Word, etc) and I am not consistent (wishy-washy, frustrated, impatient, etc) with my responses and actions toward my children.


I was also thinking of a favorite verse of mine, Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

I can’t give up when I am running and I certainly can’t give up when I am raising my children for godliness. I know better. 