masterpiece day: March 2009

As a mom of small children my life can be crazy. There are good days, and bad days. Don't get me wrong the rewards are great, but a mom can get so caught up in caring for her children that you can loose it.

Recently I was wondering if I'd ever use my biology degree. After all the endless study nights at Starbucks and Denny's (which exhausting), would I ever get rewarded for it. The countless memorization for classes such as anatomy, chemistry and recombinant DNA! I thought for sure I'd fail that last one, but by God's grace I did much better than I expected. Anyways, I had these thoughts not because I didn't want to care for my children, but I thought of the benefits that could come with working. There's one that constantly comes to mind-- building relationships for the sake of the gospel. When I was working in college, and before my son was born, I had a strong relationship platform to cultivate, invite to my local church, and share the gospel. There were tons of good friends that I genuinely loved, and prayed they'd see Christ as their Savior.

Forward 3 years latter... What does my platform look like? Two kids, one with a poopie diaper, and the other asking me to look at his imagative tractor. Oh what a change. As I put them both down for a nap I wanted to read something that would encourage me, and boy was God kind. I pulled out my never-been-used-adorable front cover- "Don't Make Me Count to Three!" by Ginger Plowman.

It read...

Moms, we need to be reminded of the awesome responsibility that God has given us. When we respond to the high calling of motherhood with passion, the rewards are far greater than any we could ever gain outside of that calling. The joys of motherhood are rare and beautiful treasures that can be easily missed if we don't seize the opportunity to grab them.

Being a mom is more than being cook, chaufferur, maid, counselor, doctor, referee, disciplinarian, etc. (just to name a few). It's about molding character, building confidence, nurturing, training, and guiding. There is nothing like the influence that a mother has on her child. A mother's influence has encourmous potential to shape the person a child becomes, for good or ill.

She then gives various examples of strong, life changing men, who has accredited their moms for their character.

Boy, was I hit by God's grace and the great responsibility he has given me, as a stay-at-home mom! If you're like me perhaps encouaragement of what our role is as a mom, needs to come in our hearts steadily and consistent. I'm a lover of self (unfortunately), and I need to constantly learn, and be reminded, how to be satisfied in Christ, and the work he has given me (by his grace).

So I am not at a nine-to-five job, I am not evanglizing to everyone and their mom, but I am molding, and shaping my children's character... and that my friend, is a HUGE, beautiful, rewarding responsibility.