As a full-time wife and mom, I enjoy learning new "tricks" that help me accomplish more in less time. To be able to take a lengthy or difficult task and make it faster or easier is exciting and refreshing. But these household tricks, however convenient or efficient they may be, aren't the secret to getting things done. Tricks are great, but they, alone, cannot make things happen. Inspired people make things happen. If things are not happening around our house, usually it is because the mom is uninspired.

This is not a cop-out, but a fact. When I lose inspiration, I coast to a standstill. I drift out to rough seas. I take a vacation without really going anywhere. If I am uninspired, I find myself not doing much of anything at all. This is a waste in itself, but it also causes the zeal of those around me to flag, too. It is said that the mother sets the tone for the whole household. That is decidedly true around here.

If we want things to happen, it would seem as if the obvious solution would be to stay inspired, right? For a long time, I did stay inspired, and I did not even know that was what was happening. People would say, "I don't see how you can keep on, doing all you do." I was always surprised, because it didn't seem to me as if I was doing a lot. I did not realize at the time that I was inspired. So, when people said things like that to me, I would answer with something like, "I get up at 4:30." (Meaning: I have healthy sleep habits; what about you?) Or, "I use the old-fashioned schedule, such as 'wash on Monday, iron on Tuesday'." (Meaning: People invented schedules long ago for a reason; try it.) Or, "I let my husband bring in and sort the mail and I only shop once a week, to save me some time." (Meaning: A little self-control never hurts.) Or, "I found the curriculum I need and have stuck with it." (Meaning: Why be a slave to crippling indecision, hmm?)

Now, let us be very clear that early rising, schedules, self-control, and patience are good habits and proven helps to measurable progress, just as household tricks are. Nevertheless, these habits will not make things happen, if the mom is uninspired. To rise early and then clock out as soon as I get a cup of coffee is at least as non-productive as sleeping in. Inspiration makes progress happen.

Okay, if it is so important, what exactly is inspiration? The word comes from the same root that gives us the word "spirit." To be in-spired is to have some spirit in you, motivating you, driving you. Now we are arriving at some scary ground because there are many spirits out there. A spirit of pride could motivate a person. A competitive spirit could drive others. However, we want the Holy Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ leading and guiding us, do we not?

More than once my husband and I have encountered people who told us that God was leading them to home school their children. It sounded so holy, right, and good. We rejoiced with them in their new inspiration. The trouble was that they never did get around to home schooling. They met with some obstacles, became angry, and shifted blame. Their final comments were that they were tired of home schoolers putting pressure on them all the time. I was sad, partly because I had been so excited at their joining the ranks of home schoolers that I had probably made them feel pressured.