The Plans of His Heart
Way back in the twentieth century, when my children were little and my hair wasn’t gray, I would sit in Ray’s granddaddy’s rocking chair at naptime, hold my baby in my lap, and sing a song I learned from Wilma Davis who taught the cradle roll class at our church. How she loved our babies and everyone else’s babies! And, oh, the lessons I learned from Wilma as I watched and listened in that cradle roll. Her gentleness, love, and kind counsel on mothering taught me while she was teaching my babies about God. I will forever be grateful to her and give her a great deal of the credit that our firstborn’s first word was Jesus.
During John’s and my naptime sessions in the rocking chair, I began:
God loves John. The Bible tells me so.
Our first nursery with our first baby, John
By the time Mary Evelyn was born, the song began like this:
God loves Mary Evelyn. The Bible tells me so.
God loves Bethany. The Bible tells me so.
God loves John. The Bible tells me so.
I was young and didn’t realize completely the impact of what I was doing at naptime. I knew that I wanted my children to know that God loved them and loved their family. Now I know that when God prompted my heart to sit in that rocker, hold my babies close, and sing, I was giving them security and I was teaching the hearts, souls, and minds of my babies.
God loves Daddy. The Bible tells me so.
God loves Mommy. The Bible tells me so.
I was teaching my children that families are important.
God loves Grandmother. The Bible tells me so.
God loves Granddaddy. The Bible tells me so.
God loves Mema. The Bible tells me so.
God loves Granddaddy. The Bible tells me so.
I was teaching my children the importance of the generation that came before us.
When I think back on our children’s home education, I realize that Ray and I cannot take credit for creating some grand education plan and then carrying it out with our children. Instead, I see God’s hand again and again. I guess what we really did was do a little planning and then just keep our hearts open to the opportunities God provided. I can see now that He was really the planner.
The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
Psalm 33:11