Oftentimes when my kids (ages 9 and 7) are cleaning their rooms they will come to me and chime, “I’m done.” Now it’s not that I don’t trust them to do a good job; it is just that I think they may have overlooked an area, like sweeping or putting their laundry away. My response to them is always, “Go look again, pretend you are mom and look through mommy’s eyes.” They run back to their rooms and I see them getting a broom or staying in there for another thirty minutes or so.
I think this is what God wants us to do sometimes when we go to Him with a particular area of struggle and say, “I’m done.
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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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Have you ever been struck by the words of a child?
I rushed around the kitchen getting bagels toasted and coated with cream cheese. Pants tumbled in the dryer, the iron was heating, and my hair was wet. Just another Sunday morning at my house. It was my son’s birthday, so the regular rush shifted to ultra speed as we scrambled to fit presents and a sit-down breakfast into our already busy schedule.
“Please say a prayer,” I hastily offered as I tossed plates of bagels in front of my two children. My five-year-old cleared her throat and began, “Thank you for this food and could You help us to get to church on time so we can worship You?
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Paul writes how he was given a thorn in his flesh. What’s your thorn? I’m willing to bet we all have one. I’m also convinced that our thorns manifest themselves in our lives in unique ways. I believe we are given specific thorns for specific seasons. Is your thorn depression, an irritating neighbor, a boundary-less relative, splitting headaches, a cancer diagnosis, or the inability to let go of past memories?
“To keep me from being conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
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A group of friends and I have been studying a book titled, Safe People, written by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. The first two sentences on the back cover read as follows: “The wounds inflicted by an “unsafe” person can go deep. If you’ve ever been in a relationship where you were used, abused, or abandoned, then Safe People is for you.”
Who hasn’t been in at least one unsafe relationship? Some of us have found ourselves drawn into painful relationships many more times than we would like to admit. Whether our relationship is with a family member or friend, knowing the best ways to deal with the people around us is one of this life’s greatest challenges.
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Wait. It’s the spiritual exercise most followers of Jesus dread most. But from it comes the fruit of patience. Waiting builds a faith muscle of tremendous hope and perseverance for what lies ahead. Waiting on the Lord is never in vain.
Has the Lord ever whispered to your heart, wait on me? Have your petitions and pleas been met by the quiet presence of a perfect God, reminding you once again that He is in control?
When God handed me four children to raise up He had to of been chuckling to himself. Patience was never my greatest strength. As a mommy I needed it in abundance and I needed to teach it to my own little ones.
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“A friend Loves at all times…” –Proverbs 17:17
This verse has really hit home for me lately. As a result of my recent injuries, I’ve been in a situation where I’ve needed help. And I’ve never appreciated my friends and family so much. The cards, phone calls, flowers, meals, and visits have meant more than I could’ve imagined.
I didn’t expect any of it.
And, to be honest, it was hard letting others help me at first. In fact, when friends started calling and offering meals, I was quick to answer, “That’s okay. We’re fine.”
But you know what?
They brought meals anyway.
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What is the first thing you open up when you get the mail each day? Let me guess, the bills! Nah, those go on the desk and are opened last. If you are anything like me, you love to get real hand-written letters. I have always loved getting the mail. I would fight my roommates in college to get the mail. I know exactly what time my mail arrives each day because I stare out the window in anticipation of the U.S. Mail truck.
Last week, I challenged myself by being the initiator of the letter and put on my to-do list; write a letter a day.
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