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I’ve been on my knees a lot to start this new year. It seems that when one declares a word for the year, that very thing may be the thing you for which you have to fight the hardest.
I believe that also goes for anything to which we are truly dedicated. Our marriage, our children, our ministry. The enemy doesn’t want us focused on these good things. And so the most important things in our lives are also often the most challenging.
Motherhood is one of those for me – something I’ve always wanted, something I treasure, something I want to do well. And yet it is also more difficult than I could have ever imagined.
As I’ve tried to proceed in 2015 with JOY, I’ve grasped new glimpses where I didn’t see it before, but I’ve also been met with much discouragement in the form of distraction and arguing and disobedience. I often feel beat down by the end of the day.
I’m not saying this is all my children’s fault. I’ve made plenty of negative choices, particularly in my role as mom, that have left me worn, losing my focus on joy. But I haven’t given up. I can’t ever give up because I’m mothering with an eye on eternity.
Through it all, prayer has been my saving grace. Early morning prayers for wisdom and love. Midday prayers for a peaceful afternoon. Evening prayers asking for forgiveness and new mercies for the next day. Prayers all day long to find the joy in all of it.
I don’t tend to write out my prayers, but the focus on the Tommy Nelson blog this month is on prayer and God just spilled these words out of me as I wrote my heart for moms of boys – and for me. I’m not writing + praying as a mom who has figured out this boy-raising thing, but as a mom who desperately wants God to show me what these boys – MY BOYS – need from their mother. I need His wisdom. I need His strength. I need His grace. And so do my boys.
I used to think God was calling me to be a mother because I would be good at it. {insert my laughter here} Now I know motherhood is my calling because it is always refining me and keeping me dependent on my God. Motherhood draws me close to Him + prayer is our best form of communication.
Moms – join me in prayer this week, this month, this year? Whether you are a mom of boys, a single parent {or sometimes single}, a woman who longs to be a mom, or any mother – someone is praying the same prayer you are. And there are more motherhood prayers yet to come on Tommy Nelson this month, so stay tuned!
If you have a specific prayer request related to motherhood, share it in the comments or feel free to email it to me. It would be my joy to pray for you today!
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Motherhood & Mother’s Day. I am not your average mom, but I sure do love motherhood. I have the most excellent mother! She’s been so incredibly faithful!
When I married David, I stepped into his children’s lives as a step-mother. Deanna and Lance belong to their parents and God gave me this tiny space in their lives to enjoy. I LOVE being their step mother and now to Lance’s wife, Chelse.
God has also given me young ladies to mother in a spiritual sense. He is so faithful to us – so creative as He nurtures our hearts.
Last week, this quote by Mary L’Engle found it’s way into my life:
The artist is a servant who is willing to be a birthgiver. In a very real sense the artist (male or female) should be like Mary who, when the angel told her that she was to bear the Messiah, was obedient to the command.
…I believe that each work of art, whether it is a work of great genius, or something very small, comes to the artist and says, “Here I am. Enflesh me. Give birth to me.” And the artist either says, “My soul doth magnify the Lord,” and willingly becomes the bearer of the work, or refuses; but the obedient response is not necessarily a conscious one, and not everyone has the humble, courageous obedience of Mary.
Can you see yourself as that birthgiver? Even if you have never waited those nine months for your own child – God implants life into each of us – entrusting us to carry it to full term. I see myself this way. He creatively drops ideas into my mind. I’m learning to entrust them back to Him. I’m learning to appreciate that my birthgiving may look similar to yours, and also cherish it is uniquely mine.
Praying is giving birth to the life God intended. We reach up to Heaven and ask that His perfection become a reality in this life. We pray in agreement with His Word. We pray His words back to Him, swinging this Sword of the Spirit. It has THE POWER in our “everyday reality” to slice away the “spiritual slime” – the slime that is infecting the now with hopes of controlling the later.
As a mother, step mother, grandmother, aunt or friend, you can give birth to God’s will for your child, His child, any child. In prayer, you carry the promise from Heaven back to the “everyday reality” of this child God has entrusted to your family and/or to your heart.
The book, When Mothers Touch Heaven: Life Changing Stories of Mothers Praying for Their Children, expresses this truth. Reading this book greatly advanced my prayer life. It bolstered my faith that God Answers Prayer. New Leaf Press and I would love to share a copy of this book with you. Enter to win below:
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My prayer for us:
Almighty God, make us courageous birthgivers of Your will. Inspire us to intercede for our children, our step-children, and those You have caused us to love. Fortify our hope in Your faithfulness. Heal our hearts where motherhood or the hope of it has left wounds. Usher in the peace and joy that You intend for us. Let Your light shine on our souls and through our mothering relationships. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray. Amen
www.jenniferowhite.com
Confession. I don’t think I looked at my Powersheets all month. I had planned some goals and some did happen but for the most part, the big goal was getting the journal done and that, I didn’t need any reminder of. 😉 I’m getting back with it this month and super excited. I actually don’t mind seasons of hustle but love a good routine.
APRIL GOALS RECAP
1. Ask God daily questions and make space to listen. I didn’t do this much. I’m pretty sure most of my praying was “God please let me get some good words out today” or “God please be with Vivi/Vana…”
2. Complete PT & at home exercises. Woohoo! And I am feeling good!!
3. Enjoy pool time and zoo trips. Yes! More zoo and less pool because they are doing some repairs right now but hope to swim more this month.
4. Update closets for the season, get rid or store of everything that doesn’t fit. I did the girls but not mine and Tylers. Partial victory?
5. Get back to habits and routines now that book and Silos are done. I’m just over here giggling because I thought April was going to be so calm and that #6 would fit into my regular schedule.
6. Write journal tentatively called “Fresh Start for Moms” to go along with the book, “Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday”. DONE!!! Took much longer than planned and me camping out at my sister’s house and working from her home office for a full two days but it is done!
Read More
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