On the Shore...

Lord I dig my roots deep into the soil that you have me placed so that I would stand tall and strong as you provide the nourishment  that I need on the days when I feel empty.

 Being a parent isn't always easy. There are times when our children are disrespectful, rude, disobedient, unkind, and act like their ears have been cut and they are blind to everything around them. On those days we feel drained, exhausted, at the end of our rope, and like there is no more. How can we go on? Are we even doing this right? What if our children turn out bad? Are we screwing them up? Are we going to make it? Are they going to make it? 

As parents these are typical questions that most of us ask ourselves on a daily basis. But in Jeremiah the word tells us that blessed are those who trust in the Lord. 

“But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT)

When we stay close to the Father, and stay rooted in him, we know that when the heat or the wind or the drought or the storms come that rise up in motherhood or fatherhood, that we are firmly planted and that He will renew our strength. He will protect us from the storm. He will guide us and love us and teach us how to guide these children and love them and teach them. Even on the hard days. Our reward will come. Because His word does not return void. 

So today, just let His refreshment pour over you as you stand with your feet buried in the soil. 

Close your eyes for moment...imagine your standing on the beach and as the waves crash into the shore, and the water rushes over your feet...feel them sinking deep into the sand as the warm sun beats down on your face. Just stand there a moment and let The Lord refresh you today! 

Lord, I pray that every momma, daddy, grandparent, or guardian who is a caretaker of these children you've blessed us with, that you would bless them today and bring an abundance of refreshing to them as they stand tall and focus on you. May they not forget that they will produce fruit in the lives of those around them. Because your word doesn't lie. Thank you Lord for being a refresher in our times of need. Thank you for being a sweet father to us. In Jesus name! Amen! 

The Lord

He died for me

For my faithlessness

For my lack

For my sins

For every struggle I encounter

 His blood covers it all. 

When I am weak

He is strong. 

He has an answer

To every question I have

To every situation I find myself in

To every problem I have. 

Because He died for me

Because He is strong

Because He holds the answer

I can KNOW He is faithful. 

Faithful...

To those who seek Him

To those who are obedient

To those who love Him

And want Him. 

 

He bestows His favor upon me

He sends His favor into every situation I am facing. 

The solutions to every question

Every situation

Every fear 

Every desire

The solutions are coming. 

They are on their way because 

He said ~It is finished.~

So I thank you for

Hearing me

Answering me

Not leaving me

Helping me

Blessing me

Bringing me above what I can see

And for walking with me always. 

Being A Mom Is A Tough

Motherhood: something most young girls dream about as a little girl, teen, newlywed. We think about how many children we want, what will their names be, what we'd like them to look like, act like, how we'd dress them, what type of character we hope they have. 

Then...boom...you're pregnant! Yay!! Until...those pesky little stretch marks start becoming as dark as a red permanent marker, next your feet swell up so fat that regular shoes don't even fit, and now it's time to push and your thinking "if that man doesn't hurry up and stop this pain, I'm going to die!" Haha. (Except for those exceptional woman who all natural - you're amazing.) Awe, now we hold this precious baby that has stolen our heart and we learn what real love is. Life is going to be great...until...it's 3am and you haven't seen the back of your eyelids in days, nor the inside of the shower. You feel like a watering hole. Will all this extra baby belly ever go away? Why does this baby keep crying? Will I ever sleep again? How does something so small smell so bad? Then he/she smiles and melts all those cares away! 

Next thing you know, he/she is two and destroying that brand new $30 bottle of makeup you bought for yourself. (Insert crying bc you can't ever have anything nice anymore.) Will they EVER be potty trained?! Can't they just be still for 5 mins so I can catch my breath? And then they fall asleep in your arms and that angel halo pops up and those wings come out as you snuggle with this precious gift! And you think...I want another one! 

Preschool. Kindergarten graduation. Middle school. Mom is no longer cool and knows nothing! High school. Mom definitely doesn't understand and knows NOTHING. 16 and driving-you think you might die for real! Graduation. College. And their off. Motherhood never ends. 

It's a blessing to be a mom! No doubt! I LOVE MY KIDS to the moon and back! I'd die for each one even on their unfavorable days.  They are my pride and joy. We are blessed with healthy children who love the Lord. Each one completes our family!

16, 14, 10, and 6.  Two girls and two boys. What a blessings from God and an honor that He would allow me(and their dad) to be their parent on this earth. He trusts Me with them! Whoa!! 

Selah. (think about that...God trust YOU with His children on this earth...you must be doing something right.)

Yet, everyday we lose sight of that truth in the mundane tasks of life and trying to make our social media family look like a glorious-beautiful-have-it-all-together family; keeping our kids "trained" to be the best at school or sports or whatever. We become so busy that we miss the moments because of our hurry. And boom today becomes yesterday and we beat ourselves up bc we didn't make today better. 

Don't be so hard on yourself(PS. I'm preaching to me!!). It's ok if they don't have an outfit for everyday of the year or the newest set of Lego's. Being a mom(or parent period) is a hard job!! It's hard physically, mentally, and emotionally. But it's also the most rewarding job there ever will be! 

There will be tears of joy and tears of sadness! There will praises and punishments! You will be right and you will be wrong-most times even if your right. Haha 

Kids will be kids and not every action, every word, every characteristic will reflect you as a parent. And that's OK. They are going to mess up! You are going to mess up! 

Find forgiveness. 
Give forgiveness. 
Receive forgiveness!! 

Have grace and mercy...for yourself and for them! 

Love with all your heart! Be real! Be consistent! Be truthful! Don't be perfect or expect perfection-it's not real! You're not superwoman and THAT'S OK! 

Laundry will pile up. Dishes will overflow. Messes will happen. Overwhelming days will come. Wonderful days will come. A clean house WILL happen. 

Breath In. Breath out. And most of all don't be hard on yourself and don't be hard on other mothers. Be patient. Love your kids, yourself, and others RIGHT WHERE THEY ARE! 

Being a Mom is a Tough job! But you've got this! And remember, it won't be like this for long! It goes by A LOT faster than you realize!! 

Be. An. #imperfectmom. Why?  Because she is real!