Wise Women

There's nothing quite as valuable as getting advice from women who have done things well, especially when it comes to raising their children.

Three such women I've never met have been strong anchors for my soul in the past few weeks.

Carrie Ward's book "Together: Growing Appetites for God" was an inspiration. She and her four children are on their third read-through of the Bible.

It's taken years, but her story proves it can be done.

Before you begin to think that she must be supermom, she dispels that notion quickly. As a child, she was a struggling reader. Before she began to read the Bible with her children, she had failed numerous times to read it on her own (sound familiar anyone?). She also made it clear that there were many days when she felt like they weren't getting it. She kept at it and God revealed himself in so many ways through their readings.

I heard Carrie speaking a few months back on a radio program called "Revive Our Hearts." The host, Nancy Leigh DeMoss, is another wise woman that helps guide so many women through life by turning them to God's word and the message of the Gospel.

I first came across the radio program about five years ago. To be honest, my initial impression of Nancy was that she was too prudish and her message was outdated. I kept listening despite these presumptions, and I'm glad I did.

Not only was I wrong in my thinking regarding her, but wrong in my thinking about how God calls us to live. Even though times have changed, God's ways have not.

Last week Revive Our Hearts aired a program called "Entrusted With a Child's Heart." The advice and wisdom provided by the numerous women Nancy spoke with throughout the week were uplifting.

One of the best pieces of advice came from a woman that said her husband used to get the entire family to sit together and talk about the day for 15 minutes after dinner. The woman described how she resisted at first because she felt she was too busy and still had too much to do at the end of the day. Throughout time, she began to realize how those 15 minutes were some of the most intimate moments of the day.

Now that three of her six children are teenagers, she said that tradition has continued and it often goes much longer than 15 minutes. Her husband realized the value of keeping the lines of communication open, and as a result, their children's hearts are still turned toward their parents at what is often a tumultuous stage of life.

Sally Clarkson is another wise and calming voice that I find myself drawn to. I first heard about Sally on the blog Home With The Boys. I've read some things by Sally and a few months ago stumbled across her blog, I Take Joy. Her daily advice on child rearing is indispensable.

All of these wise women help this momma stay focused on the things that truly matter.