Get in the Boat!

I was a guest blogger on The Confident Mom Blog again this week.  Below is my article.

I looked at the calendar and saw six of the seven days for this week full of appointments or events; dentist appointments, orthodontist appointments, sports banquet and biggest of all, my daughters graduation party. And in the midst of it all I am scheduled to write a super encouraging note to you.  To be honest, I really didn’t want to write anything.  The past few weeks have been emotionally and spiritually draining and I felt as if I have nothing left to give, especially any kind of encouragement for moms.  It would be easier for me to sit in my corner and mope about my life and how hard it is.

Ever felt this way?

Spent

Drained

Empty

Yet, you are expected to continue on.

My prayers lately have been,

 “Lord, you expect too much of me.  I can’t do this today.  I need a break from life!”

And in the sweet and constant voice of the Spirit I hear,

“Quit looking for a break in life and learn to rest in me!”

Ok, maybe it wasn’t so sweet, but it is constant.

I love the passage in Mark when Jesus tells the disciples, after many long grueling days of meeting the needs of others, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:31 NIV) So what did they do?  They went out in a boat to a place the Bible says is a “solitary place”.

Just the word, “solitary” sound beautiful to me.  My days are spent being pulled in so many directions, driving kids all over the place, meetings, doctor appointments and household duties.  I want a boat to get into!

The words “mom” and “solitary” should be listed as Antonyms!

Here is Jesus giving me a personal invitation to come away by myself and rest; his permission to draw away.  When I am feeling drained, spent and empty it is usually because I have not been making the time to get away by myself and rest in His words, promises and truth.  I let life get so busy around me that I feel consumed by it.

Think of yourself as a cup.  When we are running from here to there, caring for our kids and/or husband our cup is being poured out.  How are we to refill it?  I try to refill it with all the wrong things most of the time and what happens is I am empty, tired and in a bad mood.  I try to fill it with girl time (time with friends), Facebook or food.  It never works. 

When I fill my cup with Living Water I am always satisfied and never left empty.  It is amazing how that works!  When I start my day in prayer with the Lord I am prepared for the day.  When I take time to read my Bible and meditate on scripture I am energized to face whatever is in store for me.  God has so much he wants to speak into my life, but he is waiting until he has my attention.  Unfortunately, that often comes when I am running on empty, but I am so thankful that he is there waiting to fill me up!

Get in the boat and get some rest!

The Mother with No Children

With yesterday being Mother's Day, our focus of course was on mother's and all that we do for our families. (And I hope that if you are a mother you had a special day!!)
But, I want to share with you about a woman who is a sweet friend of mine and has no children.  She and her husband tried for many years, but never could have any of their own and the Lord never allowed them to adopt.  To this day,  Mother's Day is a very difficult day for her. And rightfully so.  Her deep desire to have children of her own was never realized & her heart still longs to see that desire satisfied.
On the outside looking in, I have a different perspective than she does.
Her husband spent over 20 years in the military as a high ranking officer.  Because of his position they were often stationed overseas in some pretty difficult areas.  With each assignment, my friend found her own assignment.  She and the other wives in the group would find orphans, run down medical clinics or just area's of town that needed some help and they would go in and volunteer their time.  My friend often found herself teaching new moms how to care for their babies, holding babies, bathing children, teaching children and too many more jobs than my friend can even begin to share.  Her life was always about children though she never had her own.
When her husband retired and they settled in the states her life continued to be about children. She currently volunteers at our church with the Special Needs Ministry.  She spends her morning at church loving on children that don't always return her love.  She reads to them, plays with them and shares Jesus with them.
She also serves on the board of a small Bible Study group for moms.  Here is my friend, who has no children, once again surrounding herself with women who are moms.  They love her & listen to her wisdom.  How is it that a woman who has never raised a child could offer such wisdom to mothers?  She loves the Lord and lives according to His principles.  She also pulls off her experiences from over seas and applies that to scripture.

My friend still has the painful desire to have children of her own, but what she doesn't always see is that the Lord has given her children all over the world!
My friend Karol Ladd has a great definition of MOM. 

Molders Of Mankind

I love that!!!  And I think that is a great description of my friend.  God has allowed her the opportunity that women who have children may not have ever had.  She has helped to influence and mold mothers and children all over the world. 

We don't always understand God's ways.  Scripture reminds us that his ways are not our ways.  I know that if my friend had it her way, she would have a house full of children, but Gods' way took her on a different road.  She is like a small pebble that is thrown into a lake and her ministry is like the ripples that continue to unfold in the water from the force of the pebble.


I believe that God did make my friend a mother, just not in the biological sense.