Not Just a Mom

No, we are not JUST a mom! Or at least in the way I think of as a mom.

I always thought a mom was one who fixed your lunch, nursed your injuries, gave you lots of hugs, read stories, helped you with your homework, and did your laundry. A mom made life better, her children called her blessed, and it was a joy to do so. This was my vision of motherhood.

This however is not reality! I believe moms can make things better, her children will NOT always be thrilled with her and serving your family day in and day out is not always pleasant. Definately doesn't fit the June Cleaver picture I had in my head! Maybe its good we didn't see the reality of motherhood or we might not have taken on the role.

• I didn't know that being a mom was more about the messes of life than the joys of life.

I am discovering that we have the opportunity as moms to bring JOY into the MESSES of life. WE have the ability to turn pain, messes, and frustrations into moments that are tolerable. We have the ability to change what IS into WHAT IT CAN BE.

• I didn't know in order to fix their lunches day after day I would be doing midnight runs for the items I forgot, or that grocery shopping had to be done weekly, or the cost involved to feed a family of 10!

My life is more about their hearts being full than their bellies. And that takes place more often than meals being prepared! Am I guiding them to the Father to fill their hearts with the Fruits of the Spirit.

• I didn't realize those moments you nurse an injury meant listening to the deafening sound of a scream before you calm down your little one. I didn't know that it would take some creativity to get the medicine down their tummies, or the unending energy it takes to nurse a family back to health.

My life is more about healing their broken hearts than heeling their skinned knees. The time I take to grab a band aid and nurse them to health I hope I take the same diligence into mending the broken heart that can't always be seen. Am I pointing them to the ONE who can heal their brokenness?

• I didn't know that with the endless hugs meant there were uncountable tears from both parent and child. That my emotions would be so involved in child raising that sometimes I'm not sure what to do next. Our famous line is once you have a child I hope you are ready to feel things 10 fold. You will LOVE more than you ever knew you could and you would HURT more than you ever knew possible.

My life is more than just hugging them when they hurt, but hugging them when they hurt me. There is nothing easy about loving the unlovable. (Yes, at times our children can seem unlovable!) God loves me when I am unlovable and I should parent like God parents me. That means loving them regardless of what they have done, how they have acted, or how I may feel. Am I loving my children unconditionally? Whether they give back or not?

• I didn't know when it was time to read stories I would find it so hard to keep my eyes open to stay awake. Because apparently when I sit down my body believes it is time to crash!

My life is more about LIVING a story than just reading stories. We are guiding them through this life and their story is still being written. How am I helping them in that process? Teaching and training them and pointing them to their real Father. When I view them as His children I find I am not an emotional mess and can actually guide them in a direction. When I view them as my children the burden is so heavy I cannot seem to see what should come next. God carries our burdens and we need to point them to Him in order for their burdens to not be too heavy as they go through life!

• I didn't realize that when it was time for homework I would also be their teacher! Praise the Lord I get the teacher books to help me through the process. But ultimately their education falls on my shoulders. I thought it would be somebody else's pressure, not mine!

My life is more than their sole teacher. Sometimes teaching is as much about how to find out what you need to know as it is knowing the answers. God has provided for His children well. He has given us The BOOK, The Bible, to give us the answers we so need to know. He has given us His Spirit, The Holy Spirit (the soul teacher), to lead us through day to day. Am I showing my children that we don't have all the answers but I know where to find them?

• I didn't know that doing laundry meant the machine would run 3-4 times A DAY and that is just the washing machine. So when we talk about 3-4 loads that really means 6-8 loads. Day in and day out!

My life is more about helping my children clean up their heart than just their appearance. By me looking to the Lord to clean up my heart I am a living example to my children in how to seek forgiveness and move forward in power. I can move from darkness (sin) to light (purity). Am I walking in a way that my children can see their mom move from darkness to light?

• I didn't know that being a mom was more about the messes of life than the joys.

My life is much more about problem solving than it is about anything else. My kids need me to handle this well! They need me to be more than just a mom that reacts. They need me to guide them in the process of cleaning up messes whether that be spilled milk, laundry they have hidden, or emotions flying off the end of their tongue. They need a mom who they know makes mistakes but they see her move into right standing with the Father. Am I walking in such a way that my kids see how to move from a MESSY LIFE to a JOYFUL LIFE?