“Mom Moments”

 
The Lord has laid it on my heart to pray for us as moms.  We have an awesome task in front of us each day to nurture, love, care for, and teach our children.  In addition to our children’s needs, we are called by God to submit, love, admire, respect, and cherish our husbands.  Let’s not forget the daily responsibilities we face in our home and how things can be thrown into a whirlwind at any moment’s notice.  Things do not always go as planned.  Battles were not always predicted during wartime.  We are standing on a battleground.  We have chosen to keep our children at home and focus on what is most important… “training our children in the way they should go.” As we train, we face many arrows:  stress, fear, worry, irritability, fatigue, frustration, comparisons.  The list goes on.  It is no small wonder to me that the enemy uses these many things to get us off focus each day because we are doing God’s work.  Let’s join our forces together and pray for the opposites:  peace, perfect love, hope, happiness, strength, patience, and confidence.

I Thessalonians 5:16 – 18  “Be joyful always; Pray continually; Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

    It had been a long day.  I had just finished dealing with one child over a very difficult issue and had to unexpectedly take Steve to a doctor’s appointment. It was a race of the clock to get dinner on the table in time, comfort my youngest, and head out the door for a homeschool meeting. The last thing I wanted to do was get into the car and drive to church.  I had already promised to be there early.  As it was, I was barely able to make it on time. I picked up a good friend on the way, and she asked how we were doing.

    I shared some of the many whirlwinds we had been dealing with the past week or two and how difficult things had been in our home. And then, an amazing thing happened.  She validated me. She told me how she could understand our situation and how certain changes were affecting us. She said she could understand why I felt frustrated and fearful and that it was a natural part of being human. She validated my heavy load, mostly because she had been in situations before that had made her feel the same way.

    As we continued our evening, God continued to work on my weary and heavy laden heart through a time of relationship building within our small group. We were given questions to answer, but as we opened up and shared within our group, our discussions turned in different angles.  We were sharing common ground in homeschool issues, but began understanding each other in deeper ways. Another homeschool mom and I shared a common problem, and it also validated me to know I was not alone in what I was facing. I had two compassionate ears listen to me that evening, and because of that I felt renewed and refreshed.  A feeling of heaviness had lifted.

    Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” I believe that often times when we are in need of rest, God places people within our lives to listen, encourage, and build up. In essence, they represent Jesus to us.  They give us listening ears and show compassion in our needful moments. They remind us that God is still there, meeting our weary hearts even when we are trying our hardest to be strong. We often go through things ourselves just for the very purpose of being there for someone else down the road.

    Know in your deepest and darkest moments that God has people available to listen to you, understand you, and validate you. But, know also that soon, you yourself will be able to do the same for others in their time of need, because you’ve been there.

    What is inside your gift?  Do you see the wrapping on the outside? Isn't it beautiful? Or, do you tend to notice someone else's gift across the room?  Have you opened your gift yet? We are often blessed with things that we know are from God. Yet, do we take the time to find the mystery deep within the package?  What is that special thing inside that He has picked out just for you and the moment of life you are in?  Are you willing to strip away the wrapping that is already so beautiful and dig a little deeper?  What will you receive?  Better yet, what do you want or desire? How will you be blessed by your Heavenly Father who loves you so much? 

    If we surrender to God and accept His gift, we will move into situations and circumstances that God has blessed us "for such a time as this." (Esther 4:14) It is these times when we discover the secret of being content in His plan and purpose for our lives, no matter what season we're in. May you be blessed deeply and far beyond all you can think or imagine as you discover a special and brand new gift from Him!

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! - Matthew 7:11

…and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. – Ephesians 3:19-21