| Home | Our Family |  

May 14, 2007

Reflections


I have been a mom now for 17 years, 4 months and 10 days.
Over those years I have learned a few things and continue to learn them every day.
In the occasion of Mother’s Day I thought it would be a good time to reflct on those things.

Money can’t buy everything
It can’t buy the miracle of birth
It can’t buy the look of a ‘full tummy’ on an infant
It can’t buy the look of accomplishment in a toddler’s first steps
It can’t buy the funny things a 2 year old has to say
It can’t buy the look of pride on a child when they learn to ride without training wheels
It can’t buy a child’s look of wonder at God’s amazing creation
It can’t buy the inquisitiveness of a 3 year old
It can’t buy the adventure of teaching a child to read
It can’t buy the elation of a teenager getting their license
It can’t buy the tranquility of a family around a campfire
It can’t buy the drawings of children
And the list goes on and on…..

The Joy of the Lord is My Strength
If I can’t laugh, I wither.
There are so many things everyday in life that you can choose to
frown or choose to laugh at. I have failed to laugh many times
when I should have. Laughter is a choice..

Trust
I can spend all my days fretting about my childrens health and safety
or I can choose to trust. I can’t be everywhere at once. I can’t control
the health of my children, but my God can, and I need to choose (there’s
that word again) to trust in Him. That He knows and loves my children
more than I do, and will take care of them better than I ever could.

Children Grow Up Fast
When we had our first 4 children ages 5 and under people used to tell me ‘enjoy our kids while they are young because before you know it they will be all grown up.'
I remember thinking, “That is easy for you to say!!! I can’t wait until they grow up and can feed themselves, change themselves, get themselves a drink, are potty trained ect.”
Now today as a mom of both teenagers and little children I realize that what those warned me is true. So enjoy your kids all the stages that they are in, because they do grow up so fast. What you think you will never get through now, will be just a memory in a few years.

Relationship Matters
When my children are grown, it won’t matter
if they wore the nicest clothes,
if they had the best education,
if they had enough friends,
if they drove the nicest car,
if they…..
What will matter is their relationship with their heavenly Father
and with Mark & I. If I work more on getting them things now
rather on the relationships that I have mentioned, I have failed miserably.
Those other things will pass away, our relationships will not.

Our Children’s Holiness is More Important Than Their Happiness
There are hard choices we have had to make as parents in the holiness vs. happiness category.
We all want our children to be happy, and sometimes we let it take the place of their holiness.
It is hard to see our children disappointed or even angry at the decisions we make,
but we need to be careful not to substitute their happiness for holiness.
When we stand before God and give account of our lives, He is not going
to ask us if we made our children happy, He is going to ask us if we taught
them to love Him with all their hearts, soul, mind and strength and to live a
holy life before Him.

Being a Mom is a Ministry
Over the years I have found that there is so much pressure from the church
to be ‘involved’ in the ministries of the church. I was once in the ‘involved’ trap
and trying to be a good mother at the same time. I had so many areas that I wanted
to serve in, Sunday School, Senior Ministry, Youth Ministry, Worship, Drama and
the list went on and on. And I kept doing more and more until one day God got my
attention and said ‘What are you doing?’ “I am serving You God.” I said.
“No, you are serving man“, He replied, “if you were serving me you would devote
your time and energy to your husband, the blessings I have given you and your home.”
Over a period of time I began to realize I did not have to go outside my home to serve God, it was all right here. And when I began to see my children as my ministry, my attitude toward them began to change. They were no longer an inconvenience to MY ministry, they WERE my ministry.
I was amazed at how this changed my perspective. And I came to the point where I
was satisfied being a mom and felt there could be nothing I would rather do. And now I do not view my children as in the way when I have to miss some things like ladies bible study, when I have to be in the baby room instead of in the church service, when I can’t shop whenever I want, when I am so tired I can hardly think, when my children are sick and I have to miss something I have looked forward to for a long time, when I am once again pregnant and don’t have the energy……..Because I now know that I am right where God wants me to be, a MOM.

A Clean House Is Highly Overrated
My house will never be as clean as when I didn’t have children.
And that’s okay. I cannot measure myself according to other people,
but I need to measure myself according to God’s standard, and this includeds
our home. If there are no health and safety issues, if my husband is happy,
if our company feels comfortable, then it’s all okay!

Self Pity Sucks
There is no place for self pity in my role as a Mom.
If I pity myself then I see life through my lense instead of God’s.
I will have valleys, but in them I need to know that I know that God is faithful
and that my view of His faithfulness should not depend on my circumstances.

Teenagers Are Wonderful
The world view, and even someimes the churches view is that the teenage years are to
be dreaded because they will be full of rebellion and heartache. This simply is not true.
We believe and have experienced God’s grace in this as we have been thoroughly
enjoying our teenagers (we have 3 in our home right now). We have always had this
belief in our hearts, but the thought was always in the back of our mind, 'but we have never had teenagers, can we be confident in this?'
Well now our oldest is 17 and we can with confidence proclaim,
“TEENAGERS ARE WONDERFUL”
Are their hard times? Yes, but if we have our children's hearts, if our
parenting years have not been just do's and don'ts, but instead,
do this because this is what God says,
if they have been taught to obey out of a love for God and us as parents,
then the teenage years will be a blessing!

Now on the Less Serious Side
Toilets draw kids like magnets, some even use them as swimming pools.
When everything is quiet, find them!
Butter really does fly.
It’s impossible to listen to 5 people at once.
If you want any chocolate you have to hide it!
If kids walk in the garden first thing in the spring, they will loose their boots.
Peanut butter takes gum out of hair.
Diaper rash ointment is very hard to wash off of a kid plastered with it.
Fat sticks to just about everywhere after you have a baby.
Some kids prefer to jump in the tub with all their clothes on.
Potty training tests your character.
Infants can smell when it is meal time and prefer to eat then too.
Teenagers ‘wake up’ around 11:00 pm
and last but not least, you can never get too many kisses from a toddler.
If you are a mom, be encouraged, it's an amazing calling,
one that will impact generations!

No comments: