Happy Friday, Everyone~
I hope that you are looking forward to a wonderful weekend. If you are not a mother...please read today's post anyway. There are some important things to consider in this post.
Proverbs 31:26-29 states:
"...She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all...”
And, to you mothers out there, I pray you have a delightful Mother's Day. My Mom has raised 4 of us, quite the task at times, I am sure! And, you may not be an actual mother, you may be a grandmother, or aunt who raised a friend or relative's child. Perhaps you are a Dad living out both roles as Mom and Dad. My sister is a foster parent for her first Mother's Day. My other sister is a Step-Mom to 3 wonderful step-adults. I think being a part of a child's life is one of the most important things we can do as adults...so I thank you for raising children in a way that God would want you to. Not a mom? You could make a difference in a child's life by spending time in their classrooms as a volunteer and modeling how to get along with each other and showing honesty, or being a coach and showing how God created these wonderful machines we call bodies, and how we should take care of them.
I had a call from my son, Josh last night. He can't get home for the weekend. He just transferred to a different Air Force base in Texas, and they aren't allowing travel yet. This will be my first Mother's Day without spending the day with him. However, he is trying to come home for Memorial Day! That's wonderful! So, weather you have raised a child or make a difference in children's lives...have a Happy Mother's Day.
I would like to share a copy of an old Ann Lander's column. I don't have the original date, but she ran it every Mother's Day. I have had it hanging on my refrigerator since May 2001. I read it many times when I felt that I wasn't living up to the title of "Mom." Little did I know that I wanted to be "perfect Mom"--impossible! I was a divorced Mom who loves her son. I was not yet a Christian when Josh was born...but I would be 5 years later. Praise God! Here is the column in direct quotes:
To All The Moms Who Do Their Darndest
"Dear Ann Landers: A friend sent this to me for Mother's Day. I hope you will share it with the women who try to be good mothers, often with no help from a significant other.---PROUD
Dear Houston: Parenthood is the hardest work there is, but the rewards are enormous. This was written by Cindy Lange-Kubick and reprinted with permission of the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star. Here it is on Mother's Day:
This is for all the mothers who didn't win Mother of the Year. The mothers too tired to enter, too busy to bother.
This is for all the mothers who froze on metal bleachers at soccer games instead of watching from cars, so that when kids asked, "Did you see my goal?" They could say, "Of course," and mean it.
This is for all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who don't.
This is for all the mothers who mess up. Who yell at their kids in the grocery store. This is for all the mothers who taught their daughters to tie their shoes before they started pre-school. And all the mothers who chose Velcro instead.
This is for all the mothers who show up at work with stains on their blouses and diapers in their purses. This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot. For all the mothers who bite their lips when their 14-year-olds dye their hair green.
This is for all the mothers who give birth to babies they'll never see. And, the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.
What makes a good mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? The ability to fry a chicken and sew a button at the same time? Or is it the ache you feel when you watch your child walking to school alone for the first time? The need to hug your child every time you hear news of a school shooting, a fire, a car accident?
This is for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation. And mature mothers learning to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Mothers with money, mothers without. This is for you all. So hang in there. I'll be rooting for you."
I hope that you are looking forward to a wonderful weekend. If you are not a mother...please read today's post anyway. There are some important things to consider in this post.
Proverbs 31:26-29 states:
"...She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all...”
And, to you mothers out there, I pray you have a delightful Mother's Day. My Mom has raised 4 of us, quite the task at times, I am sure! And, you may not be an actual mother, you may be a grandmother, or aunt who raised a friend or relative's child. Perhaps you are a Dad living out both roles as Mom and Dad. My sister is a foster parent for her first Mother's Day. My other sister is a Step-Mom to 3 wonderful step-adults. I think being a part of a child's life is one of the most important things we can do as adults...so I thank you for raising children in a way that God would want you to. Not a mom? You could make a difference in a child's life by spending time in their classrooms as a volunteer and modeling how to get along with each other and showing honesty, or being a coach and showing how God created these wonderful machines we call bodies, and how we should take care of them.
I had a call from my son, Josh last night. He can't get home for the weekend. He just transferred to a different Air Force base in Texas, and they aren't allowing travel yet. This will be my first Mother's Day without spending the day with him. However, he is trying to come home for Memorial Day! That's wonderful! So, weather you have raised a child or make a difference in children's lives...have a Happy Mother's Day.
_______________________________
To All The Moms Who Do Their Darndest
"Dear Ann Landers: A friend sent this to me for Mother's Day. I hope you will share it with the women who try to be good mothers, often with no help from a significant other.---PROUD
Dear Houston: Parenthood is the hardest work there is, but the rewards are enormous. This was written by Cindy Lange-Kubick and reprinted with permission of the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star. Here it is on Mother's Day:
This is for all the mothers who didn't win Mother of the Year. The mothers too tired to enter, too busy to bother.
This is for all the mothers who froze on metal bleachers at soccer games instead of watching from cars, so that when kids asked, "Did you see my goal?" They could say, "Of course," and mean it.
This is for all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who don't.
This is for all the mothers who mess up. Who yell at their kids in the grocery store. This is for all the mothers who taught their daughters to tie their shoes before they started pre-school. And all the mothers who chose Velcro instead.
This is for all the mothers who show up at work with stains on their blouses and diapers in their purses. This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot. For all the mothers who bite their lips when their 14-year-olds dye their hair green.
This is for all the mothers who give birth to babies they'll never see. And, the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.
What makes a good mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? The ability to fry a chicken and sew a button at the same time? Or is it the ache you feel when you watch your child walking to school alone for the first time? The need to hug your child every time you hear news of a school shooting, a fire, a car accident?
This is for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation. And mature mothers learning to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Mothers with money, mothers without. This is for you all. So hang in there. I'll be rooting for you."
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I have a bit of a challenge for you! I will send you a card from the donated He IS Able cards if you quote a mother in the Bible...besides Mary...that would be too easy! Please show the reference of where you found it. Please don't use the Scripture posted above. Sadly, as I have stated before, I can not get to the Post Office so I can not send mail out of the US. Please leave your quote and your source, and anything else you would like to share in the comment section before Tuesday midnight--Eastern Time that will make you eligible for the He IS Able Card Set Give-Away!
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Lastly, I want to remind you of something very important to me. We (the Prayer Team and myself) are here to pray for you! Any request. There is no prayer request that is not important enough for the Lord to hear! You can send it to me via email, and I will share it with the Prayer Team. Or you can put it in the comment section, and we will pray for you, as well as some of your fellow readers. This is so important...this is a very rough time of year for some people. But this is an important aspect of our lives daily, as Christians. Please let us help bear your burden! It is what He wants us to do. It has been put on my heart so much in the past few weeks leading up to today's post especially. God bless!
He IS Able!
Traci Starkweather
Beautiful post!
ReplyDeleteAs a mom I often feel under appreciated. I am thankful for my faith that has led me to be the best mom I could be!
Happy Mother's Day!
Beautiful! I'm sorry your son wasn't able to be with you this weekend. I understand. Having lived on the mission field, I've experienced many holidays (including Mother's Day) separated from my children. And, even though we are now pastoring here in the States, it's still difficult to see them on the holidays. But, I'm extremely thankful that we're on the same continent and I can talk to them daily. {And, I was blessed today, as my two sons surprised me by traveling up to spend the afternoon with me! What a joy to see them!}
ReplyDeleteYou asked for a quote from a mother. Oh, there are so many wonderful examples of mothers in the Bible, but today I thought of Hagar. After she became pregnant, Sarah mistreated her, so she fled. But the angel of the Lord found her near a spring in the desert, and told her to go back to her mistress and submit to her. At that point, she gave a name to the Lord who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me, for she said, 'I have now seen the God who sees me.'" The well was called Beer Lahai Roi ("well of the one who sees me and who lives"). PRAISE GOD! No matter where we are, where we may flee to, HE sees us (Job 23:8-10) and has compassion on us and deals gently with us as a mother who comforts her child (Isaiah 66:13; Zephaniah 3:17). Praying God's blessings on you today!