What are your talents? This is a question I’ve been pondering about myself lately. For a stay-at-home mom, I am very homemaking-challenged. Cooking? Not really. I can boil water and follow a simple recipe (which is more than I can say for when I first married.) Baking? Um, no. Not unless I have a mix. Sewing? Definitely not! I tried, really I did. Unfortunately, that gene seems to have skipped me entirely and gone to my oldest daughter who’s actually a pretty good seamstress.
So, I’ve been thinking about what my talents could be. So far, I’m still not sure. And sometimes this makes me wonder how well am I doing.
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I have felt very distracted lately. Worries about money, sick children, church situations have left me feeling a little disoriented. I’ve been praying that God would help me to regain my focus. And then these familiar verses turned up in my devotional reading:
But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself ? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,
but only one thing is needed.
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Isaiah 55:11
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
This year, in our Wednesday night program at church, we have the privilege of having some children from a local children’s home to be with us. This home is for children who have been removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect in emergency situations.
The children in our program memorize verses each week and have team leaders sign off on the verses they have recited.
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1. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter.
2. “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire ; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
3. “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Daniel 3
It’s one of my favorite Bible stories, one to inspire courage and trust.
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We like to compare ourselves to others to see how we measure up. I think we, as women, are especially prone to this. “Look at her family.” ” They always wear clothes that match and are ironed.” “She cooks homemade meals every night.” “She never yells at her children in public.” “Her husband is so much nicer to her than mine.” Or, “I would never let my children out in public dressed like that!” “She must feed her kids fast food every meal!”
These comparisons accomplish one of two things. They make us proud because we are doing so much better than the other person.
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Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16
I often find myself in the whirl of days wishing time would pass more quickly. When summer comes, the weather will be nicer and it will be easier to get outside and exercise. When fall comes, we’ll get on a better schedule and I’ll get more done. When the kids get older, I can spend more time in ministry. When the week is over and it is the weekend, I’ll feel more rested. Before I know it, I’m wishing my time away.
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I am a woman often controlled by my feelings. Can anyone else relate? There are times when I feel overwhelmed; I feel lonely; I feel unappreciated. And, unfortunately, those around me often have to live with my feelings. I am not one to suffer in silence.
It is easy to start feeling some of these things, when I let myself get bogged down in the situations around me. I am busy with children and school and church activities, so I feel overwhelmed. My friends are busy, and we can’t get together, so I feel lonely. I stay at home and do housework and take care of children.
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My husband and I have a standing joke around our home. When I am frustrated or overwhelmed by the demands of motherhood, he will often smile and say, “You’re livin’ your dream.” Of course I often want to argue back, but in a very real way, he is right. I have always wanted to be a mother. God placed on my heart long ago, as a little girl, that calling; and I have always recognized the value of motherhood.
There are many times; however, when I lose sight of the dream. I feel as if everything I do is a big burden.
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