From One Busy Mom to Another
Hope and Encouragement for busy moms
Being Mom is is hard! I’ve always felt like an okay mom, but the pandemic gave me a chance to see how I can be mighty, and that I can’t do it all on my own. I’m sharing things I’ve learned in the hopes it can help you, too!
On the Blog
CHECKING MY PRIORITIES: GOD, THEN SPOUSE, THEN KIDS
I thought by the time I had three kids, I would have learned how to be more selfless. How to put my kids first and focus on them. But, as I keep learning over and over, putting them first isn’t actually what they need.
In fact, I’m a better mom on the days I put God first, then my husband, then my kids.
FACING FEAR: LEARNING ABOUT DAVID, PART 4
When I’m afraid, I freeze. This isn’t just fear about my safety, either. When I’m worried I might say or do the wrong thing, or I don’t know what to do next, I just stand still and wait, unsure how to proceed.
I think this is a fairly common response, which is reassuring–but not very helpful. In his book Chasing David, I really appreciated how Rene Schlaepfer used David’s response to Goliath as an example for how we should approach fear. As a bonus, it’s a related mnemonic device: FEAR.
GOD’S OH-SO-PERFECT TIMING
Twelve years ago I experienced God’s sense of humor coming out through his perfect timing. When my timing doesn’t seem to be working out, I find it helpful to remember instances like this–when God’s timing was perfect.
NO NEED TO HURRY–ACTUALLY, DON’T HURRY AT ALL!
If your family is like mine, when you’re trying to shuffle the kids out the door, there’s a lot of chaos, bickering, barking, and frustration. And usually everything is heightened because we’re already running late and I’m trying to hurry.
That’s the keyword there: hurry.
HAPPINESS? NOT MY GOAL
We’ve all heard it, and probably even said it a few times: “Do what makes you happy, you deserve it.”
But we shouldn’t be trying to achieve happiness for ourselves, husbands, or kids. Here’s what we should be seeking out instead.
Refocusing My Identity
It always amazes and surprises me how God reveals what he wants me to hear through a variety of voices and contexts. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me by now since he’s done it over and over again, but it does.
As God’s been showing me recently, I need to remember my identity is in Christ alone, and I need to stay focused, fearless, and faithful.