Motherhood is the job that is shaping the future of our world like no other job. Mothering is by far one of the hardest jobs. There are no accolades during the formative years of our children’s lives. The rewards come later when we see our adult children making a difference in their communities. With the day-to-day stresses of being an active-duty mom, the difficulties of parenting can begin to override the immense joys that come from motherhood.
Being a mother is not easy, but with God’s help, it’s possible to savor every part of motherhood. The words in Psalm 127:3 are true: Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a real blessing (Good News Translation).
I am very grateful that I savored motherhood, because my two children are grown now. It seems like they grew up in lightning speed. My son, Thomas, is twenty-four years old and my daughter, Christa, is thirty-one years old. They are truly the most treasured gifts that God has given me along with the gift of marriage.
One of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made in life was quitting my merchandising/sales job with Procter and Gamble. Leaving that job enabled me to focus on being a mommy while I worked as a nanny and worked at other part-time jobs along the way. Trying to be a good career woman and a good mother at the same time was not for me. I couldn’t do both well.
While I was raising my children, the words of my father-in-law echoed in my mind: “Enjoy the years of raising your children because in the blink of an eye, they’ll be grown.” I remember thinking intently about the words my father-in-law had spoken decades before, as I drove away from the college campus where my youngest child had just enrolled for classes.
In 2015, as I was preparing for my youngest child to begin college, thoughts of my little boy running around with his action figures were colliding with thoughts of the young man who signed up for college Algebra and English 1101. It seemed impossible that my son could be signing up for college classes. Memories of Thomas flooded my mind. I thought about the times when he was a wee little guy testing my patience. When he was small, I chased him around the library while he was screaming: “No, I don’t want to leave!” I will always remember the tantrum in the library, but what stands out most in my mind are the sounds of laughter and squealing of excitement over the joys of life through a child’s eyes.
Motherhood is a gift to be savored even though there are really hard moments with raising children.
At times, I felt weary during the parenting years, but I truly savored all that comes with being a mother. I chose to savor the late night feedings when my children were infants. I savored the noise of boisterous children when the neighborhood kids gathered to play in our home. I savored the never-a-dull-moment-teen-years along with the piles of sweaty work-out clothes from daily football practices. I savored the orthodontist appointments and school meetings. I savored the hours of volunteer duties that came along with being a sports mom. I savored making snacks, countless meals, and the seemingly endless dishes that needed to be washed. I savored the sound of giggling girls in the van while being the carpool mom for the volleyball team. I savored every single moment of motherhood because I recognized that the duty of raising little ones into loving, generous people was truly the greatest honor to be cherished amidst the significant fleeting moments.
My prayer today is for the weary moms to be encouraged and strengthened. If you are feeling burdened, may you look to Christ and let Him give you rest.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
LORD,
Thank You for carrying every burden of life. Please be with all of the moms who are weary and burdened with heaviness in their spirits. Strengthen them and give them rest for their souls. Help them to know You in a deeper way and let them cast their burdens upon You. Let them look to You every day for strength and hope. Let them walk closely with You and trust You with their children’s lives. I pray in Christ’s name. Amen.
I HOPE YOU HAVE A HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY. 🌻
I’m excited that Amazon is offering a FREE download of The Desperate Mom’s Prayer Book (KINDLE EDITION) on May 7th and May 8th.
For the month of May, the paperback version of The Desperate Mom’s Prayer Book is available for $4.99 on our eBay site. The link will be below.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Desperate-Moms-Prayer-Book-Mountain-Moving-Prayers-for-a-Chosen-Generation-/184223465032
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There are countless sons and daughters who grew up knowing Christ, loving Him as children. Yet they chose to turn away from God as they grew into adults. The story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) is encouraging and reveals the radical love of our HEAVENLY FATHER. God’s love is relentless, and He always receives the rebellious ones with open arms.
