My Only Hope
Being a Mama Is Tough
Let me say that again.
Being a Mama is tough.
It can make you feel so full of love that you think your heart might burst.
And it can empty you, causing you to question your ability to go on or make you wonder what God was thinking when He trusted you with children.
The one constant we have, no matter what kind of mothering or parenting moment we find ourselves in, is God.
He never changes.
When I feel broken, when my strength has been depleted, and when every ounce of energy has been used up (for example – from parenting a teenager, hypothetically speaking, of course), I can choose to surrender and lay everything at the feet of Jesus. In this place I find hope, healing, and strength to start over again tomorrow.
In our current study of “Am I Messing Up My Kids?” by Lysa Terkeurst, she says,
“Anything I do right as a mom is because of my constant dialogues with God. Anything I do wrong as a mom is because of trying to do things in my own strength.”
After twenty-two years of parenting, I know this to be truth. And yet, still some days I find myself neglecting my source of strength, wisdom, and joy.
But His grace never runs out and His mercies are still new every morning.
So lay down those burdens, sweet mama friend, and pick up His Word.
You’ll find hope there.
Bathe your mind in truth and wrap your heart in His promises.
Surrender those worries, throw away those feelings of inadequacy, and please PLEASE break that measuring stick that falsely accuses you of being less than others.
God doesn’t love us based on how well we perform or how perfectly behaved our kids are.
He loves us not because of anything we are but because He IS love.
His affections have been set on you today. Right now. This. Very. Moment.
Breathe out that thing weighing you down.
And breathe in His grace and strength to keep going.
“I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.” (Isaiah 44:22)
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” (Isaiah 40:29)
“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100:5)
“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.” Psalm 62:1
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9a
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16.
Isn’t He so good? 
Love,
Shelly
(Need encouragement from other mamas? Join us here —> Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Studies.)
My Dad’s Garden & Our Souls Need Tending
Gentle, labor-worn hands steer the old red plow in straight lines.
Rows prepare to welcome seeds of promise. The ground opens and closes, swallowing tiny capsules of life hidden in protective shells.
The sun slides down and dinner finds its way to the table. Another day’s work is complete.
Four decades of plowing and planting just like today are etched into my memory. My heart smiles.
And then an overwhelming sense of pride for all the years of hard work by this man who leads our family well floods my being.
Without tending and caring, faithful intruders wreak havoc on my dad’s garden. They strangle and spoil and devour. But with knees bent between rows and fingers clasped around weeds, there is room to grow and bring forth an abundance of healthy fruit.
With the right amount of sunlight, the plants thrive and grow.
With enough water and the right soil, plants flourish and bloom.
With proper tending and caring, it is well in the garden and a harvest is certain.
My thoughts wander from this ground once also tended by my ancestors to my own life, commanded by God to bear good fruit.
Some weeks my own harvest hangs heavy on the vine, beautiful and lovely and good. These are the weeks I have tended well.
But other times my canning jars sit empty or stand filled with regret.
Like days wasted on a million little, insignificant things while a dream stays buried in my heart. Or the hours I rush through in a frenzied hurry, neglecting time with my Savior and spewing words that can’t be taken back.
Weeds of distractions, offense, and regret can strangle and spoil and devour.
Without knees bent in prayer and a swift removing of these intruders, our own lives can become an overgrown mess, yielding little to no good fruit.
This living requires an intentional anchoring of our soul, a planting in the Word, and an abiding in God’s presence. In the right conditions, our spirit thrives and there is growth, making a way for good fruit.
Without these things, we can wither and become barren, failing to fulfill the purpose and plans laid out before us.
Like my dad’s garden, our souls need proper tending and care so that the fruit of our lives is sweet and beautiful, nourishing all those God places in our path.
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I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. ~ John 15:5
Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people). ~ Ephesians 6:18 AMP
With my whole heart have I sought You, inquiring for and of You and yearning for You; Oh, let me not wander or step aside [either in ignorance or willfully] from Your commandments. Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You. ~ Psalm 119:10-11 AMP