Pay attention

I was reading here and decided to write about what I've been thinking about a lot lately, which is, what really matters when it comes to my children's education. And what I've boiled everything down to is charachter. If I can somehow train my children in good character than nothing that God would be calling them to would be out of their reach. They would not be hindered by bad habits, lack of self control or self disipline. They would not be lazy, distracted or a host of other things. Yes I want them to know the three R's  and some other etuff as well, but if I don't train their character then its like pouring golden water into a beautiful vase that has a hole in the bottom. It's whorthless. I know form experience the truth of the Proverb that says "the desire of a lazy man will kill him, because his hands refuse to work." I have so many ideas and aspirations that sit in my head and eat away at me because I lack some (unknown to me) component of bringing these things from my head to my hands. I'm sure there is laziness involved, but what I'm finding is that there's something more to it than that. I can't pay attention. Charlotte Mason had tis to say of the habit of attention.

      It's clear that attention is not a faculty of the mind. In fact, the various operations of the mind aren't accurately described as faculties. Attention isn't really an operation of the mind. it just means applying all of oneself to the matter at hand, and it can be developed so that it becomes a habit. [Attention isn't a muscle in the brain to be exercised. It's something you do rather than something you have.]  Vol. 1 pg. 145 (emphases added)

Note where she say applying all of oneself to the matter at hand. This is where I fall short. Even in the moment my mind flits and flutters here and there and yonder. I feel the emptiness of a lost moment with my children when I finish reading a book to them and have a faint idea what I read because I was thinking about something else. Or the regret after a small tea party with Janelle at which my mouth was moving and responding to her, but my mind was somewhere else. Almost every morning lately I wake up with the agonizing thought that I moving closer to eternity, and what will I do today that really matters. In a recent talk with my best friend, she encouraged me with Eccl 9:10 which says

      Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. 

I want to determine to instill this habit in my children, but first I must deal with it in myself. Charlotte had this to say~

                But,––supposing that the doing of a certain action a score or two of times in unbroken sequence forms a habit which it is as easy to follow as not; that, persist still further in the habit without lapses, and it becomes second nature, quite difficult to shake off; continue it further, through a course of years, and the habit has the strength of ten natures, you cannot break through it without doing real violence to yourself; Vol. 1 pg. 110

This is the first habit she says the children should be trained in. And for me all hope is not lost. 
              2 Corintians 5:17 says "Thereofre if any man be in Christ is is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things are made new."

             And 2 Peter 1:4 says "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

So my new focus is to focus. To learn how to pay attention. God help me in this journey, and may I do all for your glory and honor.