Ode to Mother’s Day
a.
“Wrote Memorization”- Lam. 3:21-23- “This I
recall to my mind, therefore have I hope…” I love the idea of journaling. Maybe
it is because I realized my own mortality much more vividly when my mom passed
away and the things that she had written down became so precious to me. I want
to write down everything God does for me and my family. I want my girls to have
a legacy they can not only remember but one they can physically reference. I
can’t remember things unless I write them down and so God has really convicted
me about writing my blessings and struggles down. I want my children to see how real and
good my God is. Satan’s goal is to get us to forget! If we forget, we will not
live unto Christ because we are not remembering what He did for us. So write
things down to remember!
b.
“Let Them Eat Cake”- Lam. 3:22- “It is of the
Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not…”
They are new every morning the Bible says. I think as Christian mothers we
sometimes feel pressure to be very HARD on our children and strict with them. I
believe in discipline and I believe in running a seamless home that does not center
around your children or their behavior. But I also believe we are to exemplify
Christ’s attributes to our children and so often, we forget how merciful God is
to us. We try to “play God” in our children’s lives and while God is holy and
just, He is also fair, kind, and loving. Many of our Christian homes are
missing the very attributes that made us Christians in the first place.
c.
“If mama ain’t happy; ain’t nobody happy”- Proverbs 31:22 –“She maketh herself coverings
of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple…” Ladies, if we are not careful,
we will neglect ourselves so much, in the name of our family, that we start
resenting them. We can have the attitude that they have somehow robbed us of
our identity or our “alone” time. Instead of embracing our role as mother and
wife we become very cynical and cold to the people we are supposed to protect
and serve. This cannot happen in the Christian home. The mother is the center
of the home, let’s make sure we are a healthy, happy center. I know when I do not
get up before my children and have my morning routine. Shower, devotions,
coffee, I am grumpy inside all day!!! It is so important we are taking care of
ourselves so that we are equipped to take care of others.
d.
“Clean up on aisle 7”- Proverbs 31:26- “She
openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness…” Do
you ever feel like you are constantly cleaning up messes? After your children,
your husband, and yourself? Sometimes a dog too J?
Well, that is what mom’s do. We clean up. We clean up tears and sickness and
broken hearts. We have a responsibility to our families to turn every negative
into a positive. We need to clean up our families messes and make them
beautiful. If your husband makes the wrong decision- stick by him anyway. If
your child does something you told them not to do and they got hurt for it-
remind them they are still loved. Do not teach your family to be bitter at
others for the way they are treated or for their circumstances; they will get
enough of that from the world. They need you to remind them that God is still
on the throne and Rom. 8:28. Don’t teach them how to complain, teach them how
to praise.
e.
“A rose by any other name would smell as
sweet…”- Phil. 4:11- “…for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am therewith
to be content…”- This is very difficult for women!!! Don’t you love being
around someone that is truly content?? Don’t we try to teach our children
contentment?? We teach them to be happy with what they are given. Well, are you living a life of contentment or do you constantly
have want of something???Your children know when you are not happy with your
life, so why should they be happy with theirs??? Contentment is like a sweet
odor, infectious. It is something everyone wants to be around, because they
know there will be no complaining.
f.
“CHOCOLATE!!!” Ladies love chocolate and this is
just a reminder to do things you like with your kids. You do not have to suffer
through everything you hate doing just because you are a mom. Get your kids to
like the things that you do! Get them to enjoy everyday activities by making
them fun. Being a mom is all about influence and you can influence them to
enjoy life’s simple pleasures like you do, like chocolate.
g.
“Growing, growing, growing,….Gone!” “Train up a
child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it…”
We have a small window of influence. I was just thinking the other day, by the
time I am 40, I will have lived with my husband longer than my parents. Yet,
what a formidable time that is!!! It is the part of life your kids will
remember and reference forever. We need to make sure we are growing them
spiritually. Challenging them. Now, our children will not grow, if we are not
growing. If we are not getting closer to God, our children won’t. If we are not
being faithful, our children won’t be faithful. We must first live it and be the example
and when we do that, we can count on the fact that God’s Word will not return
void! I know the reason I am serving the Lord today is because God was so real
to my mom. And even when I was bitter and rebellious, I still feared the God
that my mom served because He answered her prayers and was faithful to her. I
wanted that for my own life and that is the reason that I trusted Christ, because my mom proved to me that her God was real, long before I knew Him
myself.
