,

Nothing is Impossible with God

Nothing is impossible with God!

“Mom, it’s time to have the baby!” My heart began to beat faster as I realized that I needed to buy a plane ticket and head back to Nashville, Tennessee. We had just celebrated family Christmas, and I didn’t want to leave my oldest daughter and son-in-law who were expecting the baby in January. It took me 30 minutes to re-pack my bags and secure a flight.

Hurry up and WAIT!

Once I was on the plane, I began to think about how much time labor usually takes. I smiled, as I thought about the many hours that we would be in the hospital together. As soon as we drove towards the hospital, I saw the huge scripture posted on the outside of the hospital:

Nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37

When you and I face every day challenges, we need to remind ourselves of this scripture that was spoken to Mary by the angel Gabriel. Although Mary was a teenage girl incapable of accomplishing the things in her own strength, Gabriel said to her:

Good morning! You’re beautiful with God’s beauty, beautiful inside and out! God be with you! Luke 1:28 MSG

Mary had God’s favor in her life. She was shaken by the angel’s appearance and surprised by His words, yet she welcomed God’s word into her heart and believed that with God, nothing was impossible.

Giving Birth to God’s Promise

In the beginning moments of hearing God’s promise we may feel a collision of emotions: fear, joy, surprise, wonder, anxiety, peace. Like the shifting hormones in a woman’s body, we may feel a variety of things leading up to giving birth to God’s promise in our lives. We will be responsible to nourish ourselves with the truth of God’s word to help us to prepare for birth.

When the day of birth finally arrives, our focus and attention needs to be clear. We can not have anything distract us from cooperating with God’s miracle of new life. The pain of giving birth is forgotten when the child is born.

A Child is Born

Time has already past as my grandson Andrew Wayne is already walking and lifting up his hands to Mimi to be held.  I have been laughing this entire year as I see his many firsts. Time passes so quickly and yet the truth is still true.

Nothing is impossible with God!

/0 Comments/by
,

Mother of the Bride: Embracing the Season Change

Mother of Bride Embracing Season Change

When it is time for a season to change, the imperfections of life are most visible. I have spent most of my life looking forward to the next season, sure that it will be better than the last. I am now at a season with four adult daughters and two sons not far behind. Looking back, I’m flooded with sweet memories of the time spent together making paper chains for birthdays and baking banana bread and my own peanut-butter popcorn, and family movie nights. Even the big work projects of cooking, painting, and planting flowers bring me joy. How did I become the mother of the bride?

How To Be the "Mother of the Bride" Twice in 6 Weeks...

Wise mothers who went before me would whisper in my ear “Enjoy the season. It passes so quickly.”

Now, I’m whispering the same thing in your ear, “Enjoy each moment… but when the season is about to change, embrace the new.

As the Mother of the Bride, I survived 2 weddings in 6 weeks by trusting in the goodness of God in the future. I am comforted by this verse:

…I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:13-14. 

I survived being the mother of the bride twice by following these simple steps:

  1. I let go of the past
  2. I enjoyed the present
  3. I lay hold of the future.

Jesus is an expert at helping us live this way:

 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8

We are the bride of Christ. He is our bride groom. We have a beautiful wedding feast to anticipate. We have a lot to look forward to.

/0 Comments/by

Mother of the Bride – How to Survive 2 Weddings in 6 Weeks

Mother of the Bride: How to Survive 2 Weddings in 6 Weeks

Two beautiful brides. Two handsome grooms. One mother of the bride, feeling sudden season change… Where did the time go?

Mother of the Bride How to survive 2 weddings in 6 weeks

How To Be the “Mother of the Bride” Twice in 6 Weeks…

My mom who is 77-years-old ran through the house shouting “Wedding Bells are Ringing! Wedding Bells are Ringing!” We all laughed and gathered around the see the table setting that Rachel had prepared for her wedding reception that took place on April 12th. We all laughed that day as grammy looked at Angela and sang out, “It’s not just 1 wedding- it’s 2!”

I had to catch my breath and smile as our home over the past 6 weeks has been filled with wedding plates, napkins, and candles. As the mother of the bride I am feeling the sweetness of my daughters each choosing wonderful grooms. I am in awe that my daughters are moving out of our home and into the next season of their lives.

My favorite solo to sing when I was a teenager was “Sunrise, Sunset” from the Fiddler on the Roof. I memorized these words:

Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?
I don’t remember growing older
When did they?

When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he grow to be so tall?
Wasn’t it yesterday
When they were small?

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears

As the mother of the bride, not only are these 2 beauties moving into the next season of their lives, so am I. So how do I survive the changing of this season which is “laden with happiness and tears”? Here are a few notes I have made to myself.

1. Celebrate Each Moment

When Rachel and I drove to David’s Bridal to pick up her dress, we shared the sweetest moment. She talked about her trust in God to lead her and Dustin in the days ahead. Then as she put the dress on, she had me close my eyes so that I could see her walk out. Of course, my eyes filled with tears as I saw the glow on her happy face. The moment is captured in the special snap-shot-in-my-mind.

2. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Two days before Rachel’s wedding, her wedding coordinator called and said that because of a “family emergency”, she would not be able to be at the wedding. Now, this may not seem like the “small stuff.” In the over-all-scheme of what is happening, this is small. The awesome and mysterious reality is that God performed a miracle on April 12th when Dustin and Rachel became husband and wife -the miracle of being ONE.

God came through! A family friend stepping in as the wedding coordinator. Her presence made the day full of peace and joy. She was able to capture the beautiful moments of love and celebration. She became a part of God’s miracle – just like Jesus turned the water into wine in response to his mother’s desperate plea at a wedding.

3. Embrace the New Season

Having 2 weddings in six weeks has just multiplied the joy. Rachel and Angela, although close in age, are so different in their approach to life and their choice of weddings. Part of the joy is releasing each daughter to be who she is called to be. Enjoying the uniqueness of her choices. Trusting God to lead each one into their unique destinies.

Mother of the BrideIn the middle of these two weddings, my youngest daughter graduated from high school. Towering over her sisters as a 5’10 beauty she held her diploma and laughed. I had this “snap shot memory” of her as a 4 year old when I was attempting to homeschool all of the girls around the table. She got bored with the process, grabbed a marker, and turned and colored the wall.

In the middle of these two weddings — somehow my first book 9 Traits of a Life Giving Mom hit number 1 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases for Women’s Issues. Too much was happening to quickly.

HOW DID THE YEARS PASS SO QUICKLY?

My daughter Angela walked down the aisle as a radiant bride.  I remember back to a moment in time when Angela was a baby being dedicated at the altar to God. Now, she is walking out of her wedding, heading to her honeymoon with her handsome husband as everyone cheers.

As the mother of the bride, tears are streaming down my face as I prepare my heart for the days ahead. Soon two brides will become two mothers of their own children… And I become Mimi… Always a mom, yet so much more.

From the moment that our children are born we begin the task of releasing them to their destinies. The sunset of this moment, will be the sunrise of the next day.

The Dawn of a New Day

As I walk into this next season, I don’t walk alone. Not only do I walk arm-in-arm with my husband of over 30 years, I walk side-by-side with my lover, and bridegroom Jesus and surrounded by the beautiful bride-of-Christ. He is a lover that never disappoints. He is the ONE that we trust. In each new season He awakens me with the fresh joy and delight of the dawn of a new day.

 

Mother of the Bride

/5 Comments/by

4 Ways to Overcome the Invisible Struggle that Every Mom Faces

by Sue Detweiler

The Invisible Struggle

Every day there is an invisible struggle which can be intensely raging in the mind, and it will be seen on the outside through our emotions and actions. Galatians 5 describes the fight:

“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.”Galatians 5:16-17 NLT

What do you crave?

When we choose to satisfy the cravings of the flesh, we will sin. Most of the time when we think about sin, we think about stealing, lying, cheating, quarreling or committing an act of sexual impurity.  However, sin begins as a seed in the mind that takes root and grows into an attitude of jealousy, impurity, idolatry, hostility, and envy, among others. Sinful actions follow these attitudes.  Often the cravings of our souls come from lusting after legitimate needs and trying to fulfill them in illegitimate ways. The Spirit gives us desires that are opposite to what the flesh craves.

The Fruit of Anger

The craving to satisfy one’s own happiness can lead to anger and frustration. An emotion in itself is not good or bad, but how we choose to act upon it can be.  Anger is a normal human emotion that can fuel positive things. Jesus fashioned a whip in the temple and drove out the money-changers who were stealing from people and dishonoring God’s house. Martin Luther King focused the anger of African Americans into non-violent protests that led to overturning racist laws. Candy Lightner took her own devastation of her thirteen-year-old daughter being killed by a hit-and-run driver to found M.A.D.D. (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). These examples show that the human emotion of anger can be a righteous indignation that leads to positive change.

Most of the time, however, we become angry or frustrated when we do not get what we want. We have a goal that has been blocked. Anger out of control can become destructive. It can make you feel like you are at the mercy of a powerful emotion that is unpredictable and at times irrational. Anger can vary in intensity from mild irritation to intense feelings of rage. Anger is accompanied by physiological changes: heart rate and blood pressure go up. You also get an adrenaline rush, which is like gasoline to fuel our “fight or flight” response.

Uncontrolled anger can be devastating to a child. Anger tears down protective boundaries of self. Anger itself can be a weapon of control and manipulation. When a parent uses anger as a weapon, the children will grow in a fear-based environment rather than cultivating a culture of love and respect.

See your Reflection in the Mirror of God’s Word

Have you ever seen your own angry red face in the reflection of a mirror? I never knew I had anger issues until I was faced with the daunting task of potty-training a toddler. By the fourth mishap of the day I was pulling off her jeans with such force that I am sure I scared her. Then I screamed and caught sight of my face reflecting back at me in the mirror: ugly and red, distorted by rage, this was the face my daughter was seeing.

Seeing your reflection in the mirror of God’s Word brings truth of your own need to change. It is easy to point your finger and look at other people who have out of control anger. It is another thing to honestly assess how you personally deal with anger. Whether you express, suppress, or calm your anger is your choice, but anger is not an emotion you can ignore. Unexpressed anger can come out in passive aggressive ways, such as cynical comments, cutting looks, critical judgments, which contribute to broken relationships.

Our children can receive the brunt of our unexpressed anger. We may be angry at a situation at work and seem perfectly calm there, but come home and make life miserable for everyone we encounter. Children pick up on our hostility and blame themselves for it. An angry mother is the source of much pain for her children.

Here are 4 ways to overcome this invisible struggle that every mom faces:

1. Reflect

Jesus gave His followers a pattern to overcome temptation in the prayer that we often call the Lord’s prayer. In this prayer that is prayed across the globe as a model for daily prayer we find what we need to overcome the enemy on a daily basis.

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:9-13)

Just by setting aside in your day to read the Bible and reflect on God’s ways will change everything. When you understand that your role as a mom is bringing God’s kingdom into your very home. His will is being done as you follow Him and teach your kids about His word. Whenever you reflect on what His word says and what His will is you will know how to follow Him. As you pause to ponder, listen and reflect, your questions will be answered and you will receive wisdom that comes from heaven above.

2 Trust

You can trust that God will give you your daily bread as you seek Him. Your daily bread is not just a crusty loaf, it is a metaphor for everything that you need. Anytime you feel overwhelmed in the moment, focus on the fact that God will give you everything you need in the moment.

Earlier I told the story of how I lost my temper while I was potty training my oldest daughter. She is now 23, engaged to be married, and a nanny to 2 twins. The other day she was telling me how she feeds two newborn babies at once and I sat there amazed. Wow – how does she have the patience for this?  The grace to care for newborn twins comes from God.

You can trust God. The things that seem so difficult in the moment are really simple to the God of the universe. You just get to put your tiny hand into His. Like a child look into His eyes and trust Him to show you how to parent even as He parents you.

3. Prepare

Jesus said, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One.” In this prayer, He was teaching us to prepare for battle. Do mom’s do warfare? YES! Every single day you battle against the forces of hell who understands better than you do how you are on the frontlines. You are teaching the next generation how to love God and how to live in the world.

So everyday prepare for the battle. Ask God to lead you in His ways and to reveal the hidden traps. Get dressed in His whole armor (Ephesians 6) and His apron of humility. Let your heart be filled with the fruit of His love which covers a multitude of sins.

Every mom faces this same battle… you can overcome in Him. 

4. Believe

Let your mind and heart hope and believe in Him. Greater things are yet to come and greater things are yet to be done in your home. As you triumph over dishes, laundry, and potty training you are being trained to change the world through the power of God’s love. “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle Is The Hand That Rules The World” is a poem by William Ross Wallace. He praises moms for being world-changers and national-influencers.

Believe that God is able to use you to change history as you fully embrace the task of pouring into the next generation. Let your mind think thoughts of peaceful confidence as you enjoy your daily life as a mom. Reflect, Trust, Prepare and Believe – 4 ways to overcome the invisible struggle that every mom faces.

 

/9 Comments/by

3 Ways for Moms to Live the Golden Rule in Matthew 7:12

by Sue Detweiler

Mother Teresa was a tiny woman who transformed a continent. Taking a vow of poverty and answering the call within the call she began a movement of nuns who cared for those dying of Leprosy and AIDS. This feisty woman knew how to live the Golden Rule in daily life. This is what she said,

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”

― Mother Teresa

Be a Mom that Changes the World

As a mom, you may never win a Nobel Peace Prize for feeding your children waffles for breakfast, but you can transform the next generation by following Jesus’ example and living your life by the Golden Rule. Even though mother Teresa did not have biological children, she impacted the next generation by the simple truth’s of her life. Her life was lived sacrificially.

The Golden Rule can be found in Matthew 7:12 where Jesus said “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets”. This Scripture has been called the Golden Rule because it is a summary of the Sermon Jesus gave on the mount and it is found in the teachings of many cultures. It is a standard that has helped form the moral code of society.

Rule 1: LOVE

Love is an active expression of your commitment to lay your life down for someone else. It is constant affection and unconditional regard. You are called to love your child as you would like to be loved. Sometimes you will feel the feelings associated with love… and sometimes you won’t. However, the biblical meaning of agape love is not based on emotion. You must love your child enough to disciple them in God’s ways, bringing truth to bear on every area of life.

Rule 2: Compassion

Compassion is recognizing the suffering of others and taking action to help. Teaching your child to have empathy towards another child’s pain is so important for their moral development. One way you can teach this is by taking time to be compassionate for how your child is feeling.

A wrinkle in your child’s sock will feel like nothing to you, but it may really bother them as they wear their tennis shoes. I made so many mistakes as a mom, by not recognizing and allowing my children to feel things. I would try to talk them out of their feelings and reason with them why they should feel differently.

It’s a tricky thing to validate your child’s feelings, and yet teach them about the bigger picture of the needs of children in other nations. A real change came for my daughter Sarah at age 12 when she and her older sisters traveled with Wayne and I and my mom to Brazil to adopt our sons Dre and Zeke. Being able to see poverty first hand and opening our home to boys that had been orphans for most of their lives changed my daughter from being an egocentric adolescent to care about the needs of others.

Ask yourself this question. Do you as a mom live a life of compassion that reaches across social economic and racial barriers? If you live a radical life of compassion, your children will see compassion in action.

Rule 3: Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a conscious choice to pardon the actions of someone who has hurt you. Although everyone’s natural instinct is to self-protect, forgiveness is a a gift of mercy and grace to someone else who has wronged you. Forgiveness is not a feeling, forgiveness is a choice. Forgiveness is an act of your will to extend to others what was extended to you by Jesus when He died for your sins. Forgiveness is motivated out of your obedience and love of God.

You can teach your child forgiveness by being a forgiving person. Do you hold grudges?  Does your anger or bitterness towards your spouse provide an undercurrent in the house that everyone can feel?  Forgiveness is not forgetting or sweeping things under the rug. but forgiveness is costly.

Be a mom of outstanding Character

If you are a woman who loves Jesus fiercely, you will obey His commands. His rule for you life will compel you to walk in love, compassion and forgiveness every day of your life. If you walk in this way, day in and day out, your children will learn the Golden rule directly from you. Even if your kid’s don’t seem to be “getting it” make the Golden Rule a standard of your life anyway. In the end, it’s between you and God anyway.

 

/0 Comments/by

2 Keys to Unlocking Your Potential as a Mom

by Sue Detweiler

If being a mom were as simple as doing the right task at the right time in the right way, you would have self-help books that would make you an expert. The hard thing about being a mom is that it is not so much about what you do, but it is more about who you are.

Maya Angelou’s famous quote applies to moms, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” This is true of how our children will look back at how we raised them.  If you and I are to be moms that truly connect with the heart of our child, we need to look at those wounded places in our own hearts that imprison us.

Raw Moments as a Mom

If you were to write about your most raw moment as a mom, what would you talk about? Most of the time we do not talk about our mistakes. We have learned if we keep these insecurities under lock and key, we will be more respected.  The problem is this lock and key also imprisons you and I to our flesh rather than granting us freedom in Christ.

Behind Bars

Unresolved issues can put us behind bars. A divorce, a miscarriage, abuse, addiction, disappointment are things that can imprison us in our past. Sometimes we shake the bars trying to get out, other times we just slump down in a chair giving up, believing the lie that we will never change.

How many times do we become trapped behind bars, unable to make progress: Ensnared in emotional jails, confined by financial struggles, or imprisoned in lifeless existence? Sadly, each of us have keys hanging around our necks, temporarily hidden from view, but available to each one.

The Key of Faith

The key of faith in God will unlock the hidden realities of heaven on earth. Jesus died for our sins, not so that we could be miserable until He came again, but so we could live the life of an overcomer. When you put faith in God, mountains move and prison doors unlock.

Martin Luther King Jr. said “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Your faith is in God not in yourself. The key of faith will unlock future possibilities. In order for you to be the best mom in the world for your child. you must be a woman of faith.

The Key of Obedience

To obey God is to make Him the highest authority in our lives. Obedience is to completely follow His Word, His will, in His way. We chose to follow because of our love for Him. We surrender or own short-term preferences, for His eternal promises.

We are called to obey, right away, without delay. Mother Teresa said “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” It is in our daily walk of obeying God in the small places in our lives that we apply this key to be truly free.

When we put the keys of faith and obedience in the lock of our jail, the very bars that imprisoned us will become rails of a bridge of breakthrough. This bridge will carry us to a new place of freedom, but it will also help our children as they follow along the freedom path.

Teaching Our Children Faith and Obedience

The best way for you to teach your children about faith is to be faithful to God Himself, to His word, to His will, and to walk in His ways. The best way to teach your children obedience, is for you to have an obedient heart towards God.

Yes, what you say and what you do as a mom is important. But the most important thing is who you are.

 

 

/0 Comments/by

4 Ways to let the Hot Air OUT of your Anger

by Sue Detweiler

It’s the fourth of July and you want the fireworks that you experience as a family to be in the sky, not an explosion of anger in your home. To celebrate your freedom in Christ, lets talk about 4 steps to let some of the hot air out of your anger.

1. Laugh

I don’t know about you, but I need a dose of humor in order to be a good mom. It’s one of the things that as I look back at my mistakes as a parent, I wish I would have laughed more at the toddler mishaps. Experts say “a well-developed sense of humor can boost a person’s immune system, contribute to a more optimistic outlook on life, and increase self-esteem.”*

In tense situations laughter is good medicine – so laugh! Laugh at yourself and how intense you are. If you are too upset to laugh, take a break. Watch a fun movie to get your mind off the problem. Let the toxicity of the moment evaporate so that you are able to see the truth in the situation rather than the exaggerated details of your mind.

Bill Cosby said, “Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it. ”

2. Listen

When I become angry, usually it is a red flag that I am thinking negative thoughts that lead to irrational feelings. Usually I am putting myself and my goals before others. It’s in those moments that if I can silence myself and listen to God and listen to the needs of others. Even a cranky toddler can be communicating that they are tired and need a nap or hungry and need a snack. If I truly stop and listen I am more likely to respond in love rather than anger.

Become a good listener not only of words, but be a discerner of the deeper issues of the heart. Listen to find out what is really happening in the moment. Sometimes the words a person speaks is just camouflage for what they are feeling in the moment. Listen to the needs of others not just your own.

3. Learn

Part of walking with God is being a life-long learner of His ways. If we form a habit of regularly becoming irritable and angry even at the smallest issues with our families, we need to seek to learn a different way. We won’t learn if we continue to make excuses that “I’m a redhead and redheads get angry.” Rather, when we admit that we are wrong, confess our sins to another, we are on the path of learning a new way.

As a young mom when I was learning how to replace my anger with God’s love I would sit myself in time out. The girls were even cute enough to “pray for mommy.” I also began to talk about my anger as sin and to confess it openly to my husband, often in front of the children. I wanted them to know that it was not okay for me to respond in anger. Bringing my own anger into the light really helped me to get free.

4. Love

A mother’s love is unconditional. A mother’s love should not be based on whether or not your child followed all the rules. A mother’s love, like God’s love, sees the best in a child. Calls out the potential rather than criticizes their lack. A mother is able to draw out and encourage. A mother’s love is only able to heal the bruises and bumps of the world if it is completely anchored in God’s love.

Nothing is impossible for a mom who holds the world of her newborn baby in her hands. Love pushes over every wall of rejection and every fortress of rebellion.  Love conquers all.

As you laugh, listen, learn and love you will grow closer to God as you grow closer to your family. The anger of the moment will evaporate when you concentrate on walking in God’s fruit of love.

*http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/funny_toddlers.html

/0 Comments/by
,

Every Mom Can Overcome Negative Thoughts and Irrational Feelings

Have you every wish that you could push a reprogram button at the back of your head that would immediately erase every negative thought, calm every irrational feeling and free you from every sin pattern in your life?  Instead every mom that I know has unresolved issues that pop up at the most inconvenient times. If you thought you were the only one that still struggles you can rest assured that you are a part of a big company of people – called the human race.

The Day I realized I had an anger issue… Fall 1993

Tormenting thoughts battled in my mind as I drove to Saturday night worship.

“I’m the worst mom in the world…

“I can’t believe I blew it again…

“I hate life…

My knuckles were white as I gripped the steering wheel tightly. Strapped in back were two carseats. Tears streamed down my face and were reflected in the eyes of my three year old and one year old. Another baby girl was growing inside my belly and was strapped in by my seatbelt.

The conversation continued in my brain.

“What am I thinking- trying to be a mother…

“They don’t deserve this..

“God – ARE YOU THERE?’

The last question seemed to bounce off the soiled ceiling of my minivan. Somehow I maneuvered into a parking place and carried the car seat and too tightly squeezed the fingers of my oldest daughter as we walked into the church. After signing them in childcare, I breathed a sigh of relief.

I don’t think I heard the sermon that night. I just remembered communion. That is when I really began to sob as my screaming tirades flashed back in my mind.  Now my hands shook as I held a communion cup.

The fight intensified in my mind.

“Who do you think you are?

“You hypocrite…”

“You will never change…”

This last thought was interrupted by the pastor speaking from the pulpit. “I believe there are some of you who have believed a lie that you can’t change. The truth is that Jesus blood has paid the price for your sin and He has delivered you out of darkness. You are free – You just need to believe it, receive it, and act on it.”

It sounded so simple, so why was I so bound? The turmoil within me began to bubble up then calm as though the toxic thoughts had finally been neutralized by the truth of God’s word.

A new phrase began to take shape in my mind. It was an entirely different thought. In fact, it felt like a whisper from heaven that I was finally listening to.

“You are the best mom in the world for your children….”

“You have been called and chosen for the task of being a mom…”

“I will help you become the best mom for them…

Hope began to fill the deepest recess of my soul. For so long I had floundered under the  fog of the enemies torment that these words were like beams of sunshine bringing a multifaceted rainbow of His promise. His personal promise TO ME!

HE HEARD MY CRIES and His transformation is what has fueled my hope to be able to help other moms who have their own moments of hidden desperation. I hope to hear from you – I would love to hear your stories of pain, triumph and trivia of being a mom. Check back here tomorrow when I talk about some ways to replace your anger with His love.

/0 Comments/by

Finding a Safe Place by Sue Detweiler

 

Finding a Safe Place

When my four daughters were younger I made up a cheer that we would say at different times: “2, 4, 6, 8 who do you appreciate? Momma, momma she’s so great!” Of course we would cheer for the different children by name – but I had my own cheerleaders who gave hugs, kisses, and smiles. I actually felt like a good mom back then.

If we, as mothers, are not careful, we can begin to find our identity in our kids and their behavior. The behavior of your children is not the measure of your value and worth as a person.

A typical book on parenting includes a step by step guide on how to discipline your children. Often, the underlining promise is if one parents “by the book,” the results are perfect children and a predicament-free family.

The problem is that every child has choice, and you and I can’t control what our children choose. We also live in a problem-filled world where stuff happens. God is the only perfect father. He put His children in a perfect garden and still they chose to rebel. In fact we are still dealing with Eve’s choices today. She was the first mom who really had issues.

If you are following this blog, I hope it is because you want to be the most life-giving parent that you can be. You want to realize your God-given calling as a mom. That result is going to take more than a list of “do’s and don’ts.”

As we begin this journey together, tell me about yourself, your kids, your life. Let’s make this a safe place.

/0 Comments/by
,

So What Are you Doing Today?

By Amy Ford

My husband and I were engaged in our daily, “So, what are you doing today?” phone conversation, and I rattled off my list of the usual chores before summarizing, “You know, a dozen other things that will take up my entire day, which no one will ever notice.”  The words escaped faster than I could consciously compile them.  As mothers, we know what that list looks like: organizing cabinets whose doors no longer close, changing printer cartridges, laundry, mail, diapers, dusting, the meal preparation, good golly, the meal preparation!  An endless busy progression of nothings.

The day continued, with the addition of phone calls and texts and an impromptu play date.  Three diaper changes and two time-outs later, it was 1:30 and I had neither eaten lunch nor accomplished most of my original to-do list. Read more

/1 Comment/by