Receive encouragement for the journey as you travel the road of motherhood. My desire is that my experiences, victories, and failures may inspire other women. As a wise pastor says,"God helps you get through what you've gone through so you may help others get through what they're going through".
Friday, June 6, 2014
The Most Precious Thing We Can Give
The Most Precious Thing We Can Give
A saying many of us are familiar with states, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens". This passage can be found in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon.
As moms it is easy to believe we don't seem to have enough of this-the never-ending responsibilities of motherhood fill our days. The urgent, whether it is throwing yet another load of clothes into the washer, making phone calls for doctor appointments, or running to the store to buy something (ingredients to make a meal versus a remade meal is a whole other post for the future), beckons us throughout our days.
Did you notice how the little (or not so little, but still needing us) people entrusted to us were not mentioned in the above description? I challenge us
that we can be easily distracted from our calling as moms. Please hear me-yes, we must schedule time for our daily chores and such; yes, exercise and mommy time make for healthier moms; yes, during certain seasons (moving, birth of a child, or any number of other events that throw a wrench into our lives) just making it through the day is a major accomplishment. Yet, we must continually rely upon The Lord (Prov. 3:5-6) in every area of our lives, to guide our steps. When I look in scripture, I see how time alone with the Father was a priority for
Jesus. Mark 1:35 says, "And early in the morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there". Luke 5:16 states, "But He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray". Are we making time to first and foremost sit at Jesus' feet? We can only give to our families that which has been poured into us.
Our Lord is gracious and compassionate (Ps. 86:15) and he provides for our every need (Phil 4:19), which includes grace for each day, to reflect him to our precious children. Galatians 5:22 reminds us of what possess, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." You can do all things through Christ (Phil 4:13), and that includes loving your children and putting them ahead of the urgent.
For me the issue has not been having enough time in the day. Rather, I have battled surrendering my will/agenda to the one who knows me better than I know myself. Strong-willed (some in my family would say stubborn :)) and organized, I would wake up with my plan for the day (having a fourteen-month old and newborn twins necessitates some level of organization). Some days would work better than others. Over the years, I have learned to trust the Lord with the one area I fought to hold so closely-my time.
I can wholeheartedly tell you that you will accomplish all The Lord has for you each day if you trust him with your day. I am not a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of gal. I prided myself on feeding, dressing and strolling my guys through the mall (to keep my sanity) before returning home to do the routine again (insert napping for strolling). He has created us each uniquely, and personality and temperament do come into play here. However, the issue of
surrender rings true no, matter our bent.
A wise pastor taught, "We all make time for what's important to us. If you want to know what you value, open your checkbook and day timer".
You have heard it often and probably want to scream if you hear it again, but here it goes: "These years pass all too quickly". Now that I am entering a new season of motherhood, I can emphatically agree and encourage you to take inventory of your day.
We serve an amazing a God-extravagant, all-knowing, desiring good things for our lives. Let's be moldable clay in the potter's hands (Rom. 9:20-21).
Pattie
A saying many of us are familiar with states, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens". This passage can be found in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon.
As moms it is easy to believe we don't seem to have enough of this-the never-ending responsibilities of motherhood fill our days. The urgent, whether it is throwing yet another load of clothes into the washer, making phone calls for doctor appointments, or running to the store to buy something (ingredients to make a meal versus a remade meal is a whole other post for the future), beckons us throughout our days.
Did you notice how the little (or not so little, but still needing us) people entrusted to us were not mentioned in the above description? I challenge us
that we can be easily distracted from our calling as moms. Please hear me-yes, we must schedule time for our daily chores and such; yes, exercise and mommy time make for healthier moms; yes, during certain seasons (moving, birth of a child, or any number of other events that throw a wrench into our lives) just making it through the day is a major accomplishment. Yet, we must continually rely upon The Lord (Prov. 3:5-6) in every area of our lives, to guide our steps. When I look in scripture, I see how time alone with the Father was a priority for
Jesus. Mark 1:35 says, "And early in the morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there". Luke 5:16 states, "But He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray". Are we making time to first and foremost sit at Jesus' feet? We can only give to our families that which has been poured into us.
Our Lord is gracious and compassionate (Ps. 86:15) and he provides for our every need (Phil 4:19), which includes grace for each day, to reflect him to our precious children. Galatians 5:22 reminds us of what possess, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." You can do all things through Christ (Phil 4:13), and that includes loving your children and putting them ahead of the urgent.
For me the issue has not been having enough time in the day. Rather, I have battled surrendering my will/agenda to the one who knows me better than I know myself. Strong-willed (some in my family would say stubborn :)) and organized, I would wake up with my plan for the day (having a fourteen-month old and newborn twins necessitates some level of organization). Some days would work better than others. Over the years, I have learned to trust the Lord with the one area I fought to hold so closely-my time.
I can wholeheartedly tell you that you will accomplish all The Lord has for you each day if you trust him with your day. I am not a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of gal. I prided myself on feeding, dressing and strolling my guys through the mall (to keep my sanity) before returning home to do the routine again (insert napping for strolling). He has created us each uniquely, and personality and temperament do come into play here. However, the issue of
surrender rings true no, matter our bent.
A wise pastor taught, "We all make time for what's important to us. If you want to know what you value, open your checkbook and day timer".
You have heard it often and probably want to scream if you hear it again, but here it goes: "These years pass all too quickly". Now that I am entering a new season of motherhood, I can emphatically agree and encourage you to take inventory of your day.
We serve an amazing a God-extravagant, all-knowing, desiring good things for our lives. Let's be moldable clay in the potter's hands (Rom. 9:20-21).
Pattie
Very encouraging. We all can take a look at where we spend our most important resource (time).
ReplyDeleteI love your blog Aunty Pattie. It kind of reminds me of the movie "Mom's Night Out!" I admire how you always strive to be the best mom possible! I guess this is what I get to look forward too!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nicole. I so enjoYed that movie.
DeleteYou are sn amazing mommy blogger, thank you for blessing us!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pattie!
ReplyDelete~Beth (Hawaii)
So many great points. If i can be totally transparent here, I find it interesting (and sad) that the more free time I have, the more I struggle with spending time with the Lord. Need to be more disciplined and be mindful of my time, energy and focus.
ReplyDelete