Do you have your oxygen mask for the new year?

As a homeschooling mother of five children, I sometimes find myself overwhelmed with parenthood. Please take a few minutes to watch this hilarious video. No wonder I feel as if I can't catch my breath some days!

There is no doubt that parenting and teaching is a challenge because we all want to do the best for our children. By fulfilling our divinely appointed jobs as parents and teachers, we can be God's tools that define and refine our children as they are sculpted into the individuals that He wants them to be. Often we put so much energy into our children's needs, we fail to do the things that keep us energized.

You may be familiar with the drill about what to do in an emergency when you get on an airplane. The flight attendant tells you that an oxygen mask will drop from the ceiling if needed. She will remind you that if you are traveling with small children, you will need to put on your own mask first before you help your child.

As you travel through your busy life, ask yourself if you are putting on your oxygen mask first. We cannot give our children something we don't have ourselves. As people are making New Year's resolutions that will be forgotten within a month, I encourage you to make one that can transform your life as well as your children's.

The resolution that I am recommending involves making a commitment to having a quiet time with God every day. This may involve some sacrifices, such as waking up ten minutes earlier, turning off the morning news for a few minutes, or finding time alone, but I can promise that the results will be worth it.

Many people ask what they should do in their quiet time. Find a time early in your day when there are no distractions, which includes children, television, radio, or anything else that may take your focus off what you are doing. You pray for concerns on your heart and thank God for your blessings. You read God's word and look for meaning in the scriptures and how to apply them to your life.

For almost ten years, I made the resolution to read my Bible from cover to cover. I would become frustrated because I never made it past the first few hundred pages. I could not understand my failed attempts to finish the Word of God even though I had read hundreds of other books in my lifetime. How could I read so many different books that really did not make a big difference in my life yet I couldn't complete the one and only book that truly matters? I was very disappointed with myself again and again.

Help was on the horizon when a friend recommended The One Year Bible, which guides readers through a daily selection from the Old and New Testaments, Psalms, and Proverbs. I fell in love with this Bible because my attention was captivated from reading different sections of the Bible each day. (Just perfect for an ADD mom like me. I always multi-task. Even now as I type this, I have several screens pulled up at once on the computer.) Sections are dated so if I miss a day or two, I can quickly get back on track during my next quiet time. With only fifteen minutes of daily reading, I finally read the complete Bible for the first time in my life. It was a goal that I had waited ten years to achieve. I was thrilled!

So start off the new year by putting your oxygen mask on first. Meditate on God's word and let His love permeate your heart, so you can transfer that love to your children.

Happy New Year! May you achieve your resolutions this year.