Motherhood
Work for His Glory Series
Part I - Motherhood
Motherhood... in a nutshell: messy, beautiful, difficult, wonderful, special and trying- actually, I meant to type tiring, but that works just as well and proves my point! I'm sure this is not the first time you've heard that parenting can be exhausting. You might even be rolling your eyes, because here you are, reading yet another post about how "beautiful the messes of toddler years can be". But, it is worth noting and worth writing a blog post in a blog I haven't touched in over a year, because it is one of the greatest mission fields that Christ has given me. Motherhood is a blessing, sometimes in disguise but mostly just a blessing each and every day. You get to the end of the day: you're covered in snot, veggie straw residue and milk stains... but you think over your day and can usually find that something amazing did happen. She took her first step! She said please AND thank you! She ate all of her veggies! She sat to read a story for more than a minute! She didn't hurt herself by jumping off of the couch onto the hardwood floor. She is healthy and breathing and very much here! And you smile, remembering the sweet in the chaos and the miracle that this little human came from you and is part of your family.
Don't get me wrong, sometimes I want to slap my past self for not fully appreciating all the time she had before kids to go out wherever and whenever she pleased, without having to go through the process of getting someone else ready too. In this season, though, I want to slow down and embrace the little messes along the way. I want to be excited that things were never the same as soon as I saw that second pink line on the pregnancy test. I want to cherish the way she is trying to learn how to communicate that she wants more turkey slices and I want to burn in my memories the way that she lights up when I play her favorite songs.
"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue" Proverbs 31:26.
As my daughter is learning how to say words and respond to me, I can't help but constantly feel convicted. She will throw fits full of tears and screeches, (think pterodactyl -pitched screams), and I stand there and tell her that she needs to "Be patient" and that she "needs to be nice when you're asking for something, use your words and stop hitting mama!" I can't help but want to laugh when she responds the same way five minutes later because I can relate to her on so many levels. When it comes to my walk with the Lord and living out what He has asked me to do and be, I can fall short over and over again. I raise my voice, (yes, even if it's just in my thoughts), I want to throw full on crocodile- tear- fits and screech like a flying dinosaur too, because I feel like the circumstances in my way sometimes are not fair. I can have short tempers with this same toddler I am trying to correct and the attitude of my heart can be full of bitterness and judgment at times. These are all unattractive qualities, certainly to anyone if they saw them and especially to the Lord who commands me to speak with wisdom and reminds me that kindness should flow out of my heart and into my teachings.
I've asked for His forgiveness and grace, even though it is already extended, because I know that I want to bring Diana up knowing the Lord and seeing her mom seeking His will day in and day out. I want her to learn that the circumstances in our lives do not define us if we put God first. My desire is that she would see that my strength comes from Him alone. "Daughter of the Most High King" will be written on our hearts and will pour out over those we influence if we allow Him to change our hearts and minds. This is the mindset I must ground into my being and pray over daily to be given to me, because this is what matters most at the end of each long day.
So I am grateful for these messy Mondays and chaotic weekends full of nursery rhymes and praying over bedtime, because without them I would be missing out on all of this chiseling in my own spiritual walk. I'm going to choose to lean into my weaknesses as a parent and lean on Christ as I fill out my purpose in this area of life. I'm going to continue to allow myself to be convicted and to constantly repent of my selfish desires as I care for one of His most beautiful creations.
Yes sister (and brother), motherhood is certainly all of the things mentioned earlier, but above all, motherhood is God-glorifying and it is a miracle that God put us up to the task. Roll up those sleeves, mama and let's get to work.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for being so patient with us as we walk about this earth. Thank you for extending grace every single day. Thank you for the gentle reminders that we are here to do you work and to do it for your glory and that we are not just working in vain. Give us purpose and lead us throughout our mundane tasks. Give us joy in this season and fill our hearts with praise.
Amen
Part I - Motherhood
Motherhood... in a nutshell: messy, beautiful, difficult, wonderful, special and trying- actually, I meant to type tiring, but that works just as well and proves my point! I'm sure this is not the first time you've heard that parenting can be exhausting. You might even be rolling your eyes, because here you are, reading yet another post about how "beautiful the messes of toddler years can be". But, it is worth noting and worth writing a blog post in a blog I haven't touched in over a year, because it is one of the greatest mission fields that Christ has given me. Motherhood is a blessing, sometimes in disguise but mostly just a blessing each and every day. You get to the end of the day: you're covered in snot, veggie straw residue and milk stains... but you think over your day and can usually find that something amazing did happen. She took her first step! She said please AND thank you! She ate all of her veggies! She sat to read a story for more than a minute! She didn't hurt herself by jumping off of the couch onto the hardwood floor. She is healthy and breathing and very much here! And you smile, remembering the sweet in the chaos and the miracle that this little human came from you and is part of your family.
Don't get me wrong, sometimes I want to slap my past self for not fully appreciating all the time she had before kids to go out wherever and whenever she pleased, without having to go through the process of getting someone else ready too. In this season, though, I want to slow down and embrace the little messes along the way. I want to be excited that things were never the same as soon as I saw that second pink line on the pregnancy test. I want to cherish the way she is trying to learn how to communicate that she wants more turkey slices and I want to burn in my memories the way that she lights up when I play her favorite songs.
"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue" Proverbs 31:26.
As my daughter is learning how to say words and respond to me, I can't help but constantly feel convicted. She will throw fits full of tears and screeches, (think pterodactyl -pitched screams), and I stand there and tell her that she needs to "Be patient" and that she "needs to be nice when you're asking for something, use your words and stop hitting mama!" I can't help but want to laugh when she responds the same way five minutes later because I can relate to her on so many levels. When it comes to my walk with the Lord and living out what He has asked me to do and be, I can fall short over and over again. I raise my voice, (yes, even if it's just in my thoughts), I want to throw full on crocodile- tear- fits and screech like a flying dinosaur too, because I feel like the circumstances in my way sometimes are not fair. I can have short tempers with this same toddler I am trying to correct and the attitude of my heart can be full of bitterness and judgment at times. These are all unattractive qualities, certainly to anyone if they saw them and especially to the Lord who commands me to speak with wisdom and reminds me that kindness should flow out of my heart and into my teachings.
I've asked for His forgiveness and grace, even though it is already extended, because I know that I want to bring Diana up knowing the Lord and seeing her mom seeking His will day in and day out. I want her to learn that the circumstances in our lives do not define us if we put God first. My desire is that she would see that my strength comes from Him alone. "Daughter of the Most High King" will be written on our hearts and will pour out over those we influence if we allow Him to change our hearts and minds. This is the mindset I must ground into my being and pray over daily to be given to me, because this is what matters most at the end of each long day.
So I am grateful for these messy Mondays and chaotic weekends full of nursery rhymes and praying over bedtime, because without them I would be missing out on all of this chiseling in my own spiritual walk. I'm going to choose to lean into my weaknesses as a parent and lean on Christ as I fill out my purpose in this area of life. I'm going to continue to allow myself to be convicted and to constantly repent of my selfish desires as I care for one of His most beautiful creations.
Yes sister (and brother), motherhood is certainly all of the things mentioned earlier, but above all, motherhood is God-glorifying and it is a miracle that God put us up to the task. Roll up those sleeves, mama and let's get to work.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for being so patient with us as we walk about this earth. Thank you for extending grace every single day. Thank you for the gentle reminders that we are here to do you work and to do it for your glory and that we are not just working in vain. Give us purpose and lead us throughout our mundane tasks. Give us joy in this season and fill our hearts with praise.
Amen
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