Still More Devotions for Busy Moms

So, how many days a week do you feel overwhelmed? As a mom, it seems like we get most of the dirty work. For some reason most of the family just assumes the laundry will be done, the dishes will be clean and there will always be cereal on the shelves. I'm not sure whether everyone just thinks that stuff just magically appears or what. Only another mom understands that those groceries require a minimum of one hour a week, and that doesn't include drive time. How often are you still working when the rest of the family has settled into bed for the night?

And it's not like you're the last one up most mornings. Even if you have a morning that you might sleep in, if you have children under the age of 10, it's very difficult for them to let you sleep late. They just want to be with you, but it still makes relaxing a little tough sometimes.

That's where Moses' story can help! Moses was overwhelmed. The people of Israel thought he was the only one who could make a wise decision. Every person in the entire nation who had a problem came to Moses. From sunup to sundown Moses was kept busy defusing arguments and playing mediator. (Do you ever feel like that?)

But Moses' father-in-law gave him some great advice. "Get some help! You can't do it all by yourself. You deserve to have some downtime."

We want to be the best moms possible, but despite our best efforts, we only get 24 hours each day, 168 in a week. And the Bible tells us that the first 24 are supposed to be a day of rest. So, if you give yourself another 40-50 for sleeping, that leaves about 90 to get done everything we have to do. If you work 40 and spend 5-7 driving, another 5-10 cooking and shopping and 5 or 6 hours each week doing laundry, you might have 4½ hours a day left to spend some time with your kids. But that doesn't leave any time for quiet time with Jesus or for you to spend with your husband or just by yourself.

Yep, I bet you know just how Moses felt. And I have a feeling if Jethro watched you fielding your kids' demands and sorting through the disputes, he'd tell you exactly what he told Moses. It's OK to get some help. You don't have to do it alone. There are some things that you'll still need to do yourself. The big things, just like Moses. But there are other things that you can delegate to others. Your kids can probably fold and put away socks and towels. They might not be quite as neat and tidy as you'd do it yourself, but they'd be done! And it's good for your kids to have the responsibility. It's actually good for their self-esteem to be given some jobs. Older kids can cook one or two days a week, and while it would be nice if our husbands would just take it upon themselves to take some of our burden, the fact is most men need to be plainly asked to help. There's a good chance they won't mind picking up an extra chore or two, they just need specifics. Don't expect them to read your mind. And on a side note, never forget, it's OK if it gets done a little different than you might have done it. If you pay a babysitter occasionally, ask him or her to do the dishes or straighten the kids' rooms. If she does a great job, throw a few extra dollars her way. And if you can afford it, don't be afraid to pay someone to clean a couple of times a month. That doesn't make you a bad mom.

Moses is one of the most remembered heroes of the Old Testament, and he achieved this with help. You are a super-mom. Just the fact that you spent these few minutes trying to become a better person by reading something that I hope will inspire you is proof. And if you ask for help, you are still a super-mom. You are a super-mom because you love your children and you want the best for them. You are a super-mom because you believe that Jesus loves you and you want your children to learn about that love. So start the year out right. Ask for some help in your day to day. And take time to enjoy your kids, your husband and yourself. You deserve it!

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As a mother, I'm relatively confident, you love your children. Just the fact you are reading a devotion that might help you become a better parent is evidence that you want the best for your children. However, I wonder if you've ever read this passage of scripture before and thought of it as instruction in parenting?

As we look at Paul's list of virtues, the first seems pretty easy. We all have compassion for our children. We cry when they are hurt, physically or emotionally. Sometimes it seems like we can actually feel their pain. But as we move along the list, it becomes more and more difficult. Are you always kind to your child? Do you treat you child with as much respect as you do adults or even other children? Are you gentle and patient with this small gift that God has given you?

Often when we are busy or a child spills something when we don't really have time to get it cleaned up, we will become impatient and perhaps less than gentle. When my own children were young it often seemed as though shoes and coats only got lost when I was running late. Between the stress of finding the shoes and the rush of trying to get to work or an appointment on time (or at least not too unreasonably late), my girls wound up experiencing the short end of my temper. Why is it so much easier to be kind to other children when we so quickly become short with our own?

Paul asks us to "bear with each other." In other words, "put up with one another." And if you glance down to verse 21, you'll find that he tells fathers not to embitter your children. (makes for good "mom advice" too.) The goal in keeping them from becoming embittered is so they don't become discouraged.

And over all these virtues put on love. As I said in the beginning, I'm confident you love your child; however, to truly put love on OVER the other virtues, the gentleness, kindness, patience, humility and compassion must be present. I think one of the things Paul is trying to tell us is that without these OTHER virtues, love isn't quite complete. In fact, without those other virtues, love is something like a hollow empty shell. Love without these virtues that prove your love will be discouraging to your child.

The key to this child-rearing skill is found in verses 15 & 16. Paul tells us to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts and to let his Word dwell in us richly. These two elements will make all the difference in the world. When we try to accomplish those virtues without the peace and Word of Christ, we will fail every time. To really be the parent God is calling you to be, focus on these aspects of the faith.

You deserve the peace that comes from living in Christ and your child deserves a parent who lives in the light of His love.

As I read this story of Hannah, I am amazed at her faith. All she wanted was a child. She prayed frantically for a son or daughter. Her prayers were so desperate that Eli thought she was drunk. After years of such prayers, she finally gave birth to Samuel and then, when he was still a very young child, she took her only son to the temple and gave him to the Lord. He would forever live in the temple and be a servant of the God.

Many of us have had a service of dedication for our children or participated in infant baptism for our precious wee ones. However, if we had to leave our child in God's hands forever, could we? How difficult would it be to do as Hannah did and forever dedicate our child to God, to put our tiny bundle of joy in God's control? And a tougher question . . . what if God is calling you to do that today? Would you be able to do such a thing?

I think God does indeed call each of us to give our children to Him completely. We are tempted to think we can give them everything that they need. But taking our children to church and praying with them before bed is just the beginning of what it takes to make sure our children are on the right track. While we may not be required to leave our children at the church next Sunday, there is something about completely giving over our children to God in our hearts that makes an eternal difference in our own lives as well as the lives of our children.

I remember so well the day I gave my girls to God. I was worried to the point of illness about what would happen to them if I died. I didn't want my parents or my in-laws to have to take them. It was good for them to be able to just be grandparents without the added burden of day to day caring for kids. My husband is wonderful, but I wasn't sure he could really care for them on his own. Looking back it seems like a very irrational fear, but in my mind at the time, it was a genuine concern.

So, I prayed. And as I talked fervently to God about who would care for my children, I felt as though he asked me, "Don't you trust that I can take care of them if you aren't here?" The thought stopped me in my tracks. I really believed I had a deep trust of my heavenly Father, but right at that moment I wasn't sure I could leave it all in His hands. The girls needed meals cooked and diapers changed. They'd need help with homework and someone to read to them. I believed Jesus was all I needed, but somehow, I think I believed the girls needed more. They needed me or at least some other capable human to love them and care for them.

But that thought kept echoing in my brain, "Don't you trust that I can take care of them?" And finally I remember telling Jesus yes. It was one of the most freeing moments in my life. I told my Savior that I did believe He had the best in mind for my children, and I honestly believed with all of my heart He would take care of them. I let them go in my spirit and gave them to God to raise. I would just be here to care for them and love them, but they would from that moment on belong to Christ to lead and guide wherever He chose. I told God that I wouldn't worry about them being left alone without me. I trusted that He could care for them and give them everything they would ever need.

That was one of the most difficult choices I've ever made in my life. However, it was also one of the most wonderful. It was the best decision I made for myself spiritually, and the most unselfish I ever made for my children.
I encourage you to be like Hannah in these next few weeks. Evaluate how much you actually trust God with your children. Examine your heart and your spirit to see if you really trust God to take care of the most precious gift He's ever given to you. Release them in your heart. Give them to your heavenly Father. He will care for them better than you could have ever imagined.

Image courtesy of Wizard of Draws

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don't lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Some versions end with "He will give you success." Either way, isn't that great news? Juggling kids, a husband, a job or an education, household chores, volunteer work, animals and all the other stuff on our plate every day can seem impossible. Just yesterday I asked on Twitter if anyone had 20 hours extra I could purchase really cheap! To know that God wants to direct my paths and give me success is encouraging.

But wait! There are three things in these two little verses that I have to do first before I get direction and success. First I have to TRUST, trust Jesus with all of my heart. I have to believe that He really does have the best in store for me and have confidence in God's ability to take every situation and use it for good. Which brings us to the second directive . . .

Don't Lean on Your Own Understanding . . . When we learn to trust God, we begin to see that our own plans don't quite cut it. We grew up with common sense thinking, we've learned all the rules, the right way to do things. But when we begin to trust in God and lean on His understanding instead of our own, we start to see that a lot of what we thought was common sense is merely human understanding. In that list I have in the first paragraph, I didn't mention my quiet time with God, my church attendance or my discipleship "program" (for lack of a better word). But when I lean on God's understanding, I learn that these are the most important things. My understanding says, "The laundry has to be folded first." God's understanding says, "Take time for me, and I'll make time to fold the laundry." My understanding says pay all the bills and then take an offering out of what is left. God's understanding is the opposite, "Bring the full tithe . . . and see if I don't bless you so much you don't have room for it." (Malachi 3:10)

Tithing and taking time each day to put God first in our lives are only two of the many ways we can "acknowledge Him." This verse says, "In ALL your ways acknowledge Him." In every single thing we do every moment of every day, we must acknowledge our Father in Heaven. Realize He is the Creator of all things. Believe and live like He is the Lover of my Soul. Look for ways to bring Him glory in front of all of your friends, family and co-workers, and most especially before your children.

It's sad, because when we live out the priorities of our own understanding each day and don't acknowledge God, we are teaching this way of life to our children, robbing them of the peace they could have much earlier than we did if they grab hold of this verse while they are still in their youth.

We have been given a daunting task in just being made a woman. God has created us to care a little more, work a little longer and give a little bigger. It's easy for us to burn out and get overwhelmed by all we think we should do. But, if we can learn to truly trust, completely lean and daily acknowledge with joy the one who made us to be who we are, then we have a great blessing . . . because He, our loving Father and gracious Provider, will direct out paths.

I recently talked to someone who was having a real problem with this passage. Why, after years of teaching her children how to live a Christian life, did her husband and children walk away from the faith? She'd built her house on a rock, but it seems as though when the storms came it "fell with a great crash." Her observations made me really begin to consider this scripture and ponder exactly what it means.

"Everyone who hears the words of Jesus and puts them into practice" . . . what does that mean? Doesn't that mean living right? Isn't that what happens when we live the ten commandments and teach our family to do the right thing? I guess we really have to look at the "words of Jesus" to be sure.

Jesus said, "love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind." And if we look, we'll see these few verses fall right after the "Sermon on the Mount." In that famous passage he told us we can't serve two masters, forgive as we want to be forgiven and that where our treasure is our heart is. Jesus told us not to worry about anything, not to judge and that not everyone who claims to follow Him will have a place in heaven. Jesus told us to be the light.

Not really anything in there about the rules . . . just love, forgive, treasure, be light. But not one word about any of the big ten. In fact, when He did talk about the commandments to a rich young ruler, Jesus ended the conversation with "follow me."

And I think that might be the secret. So many of us want to build our house on the rules. We want our children to learn how to be good people. Church becomes a place where we separate ourselves from the rest of our lives. It's almost like our penance for the rules we break the rest of the week.

But Jesus said our house should be built on the rock. More than 35 times in the Old Testament, God was called "the Rock." If we want our children to be strong enough to withstand the storms, we must teach them to build their lives on the Rock, not the rules. The first step in this endeavor is to live our own lives on the Rock. The key is to love Jesus, and then to allow everything we do to be an expression of that love.

Rules are difficult to keep, the Israelites proved that. They spent hundreds of years trying to be righteous before God by following the rules. That's the whole reason Jesus came. He came to fulfill the law. When we love Him, the rules change. In fact, they disappear. True love causes us to WANT to live a life that pleases Him. True love for Jesus fills us with love for those around us. Church is no longer the price we pay for the rules we break, it's a celebration of the blessings that our Savior has poured out on us.

When we bring our children up learning to love Jesus, to appreciate His precious sacrifice for us on the Cross and understanding that our surrender to Christ as a response to His love for us actually brings real life, then our children will have a chance to hold up through the temptations of being a teenager. They will have to step out on that Rock for themselves at some point. Our foothold can only keep them safe for so long. But the chances of them finding that truth increase one hundredfold when they see the peace, joy and firm foundation taking their place on that Rock brings.

So, spend some time this week looking at your life. Are you built on the Rock or the rules? And if it's the Rock, then stand strong, love large and live life like you know you can weather any storm that comes your way. Because on the Rock, you can!

As families get back into the swing of school, many parents are starting to feel overwhelmed. By the time everyone gets home and winds down for a bit (if there's time), eats some dinner, goes to lessons, sports or whatever other extra-curricula activity there may be and finishes homework, the evening is shot. If laundry needs done or some other chore is staring her in the face, Mom might not get into bed until very late. After two or three weeks straight, the schedule can feel very overwhelming.

Because most moms are forced to work outside the home, they often feel guilty because instead of spending any extra time they have with their children, they end up doing laundry, packing tomorrow's lunches or some other task that can't be put off until tomorrow. It often seems like the most "quality" time we have with our children is in the car!

So, it becomes natural for a mom to read Luke 5:16 and assume that verse has nothing to do with her life. After all, what does Jesus stopping and praying those prayers have to do with my life and the way I raise my children?

Jesus knew the need for "me time." He often withdrew and prayed. He understood that in His human form, His body needed that rejuvenation that came from being alone and in prayer. This is only one instance when Jesus withdrew and spent some time by himself. Other times he would go off to a quiet place with his good friends. I think these pictures of Jesus in His humanness can give us permission to set aside "me time."

As a mother it's important that you have time to spend with your Heavenly Father each day. If Jesus needed that time alone, we obviously do too. Plus, the lesson you will teach your children by your actions might be the most valuable one they'll ever know.

How would your life change if you made "me time" a priority? Time for prayer and scripture . . . time to gather with friends for Bible Study or just for fun . . . time with your spouse just having fun . . . time to put all the "day to day" worries out of your mind for 15 minutes . . . a couple of hours . . .

Jesus needed that kind of time and so do we.

A devotion written especially for Wednesday

It's Wednesday, the middle of the week. Two days down. Two days to go. In the busy-ness of your life, how often do you feel like this is your weekly mantra? Life is a drudgery. It's not much fun at all.

But is that how God intended our lives to be? When Jesus said, "I came to give life and make it full" in John 10:10, is our Monday to Monday life what He really had in mind? Or did He plan for us more a life of Psalm 34? Did God really mean for us to be "saved, blessed and delivered?" Is Psalm 34 correct? Does God really intend for us to have everything we need and see many good days? And if He does, what's keeping our lives from living in that blessed, saved, goodness?

I think our problem lies in the first three verses. They begin, "I will extol [glorify, celebrate, exalt] the Lord at all times, His praise will always be on my lips." We get so busy that we neglect these first verses. Even when our lips are busy doing other things, our soul should be lifting up feelings of praise. We should tell our friends, "You should hear what God did for me this morning . . ." Perhaps it will be merely a beautiful sunrise or a song that came on the radio just when you needed to hear it. The gratitude towards God you share may simply be a safe ride to work or an uneventful morning getting the kids ready for school. Did the car start? Was there milk in your refrigerator? Did your child smile at you?

Psalm 34 doesn't say this praise will keep us from trouble, but it does say that the Lord will deliver us when the trouble does come our way. It might be interesting to note that David wrote these words just after he nearly was captured by a foreign King. David was trapped and alone with no way out. So, he acted like a mad man. He frothed at the mouth and tried to climb the walls. He would have been put to death had the king not thought he was a lunatic. (And you thought you were having a bad day). God gave him wisdom to act and rescued him from his enemy.

So this week, spend some time just concentrating on the goodness of God. King David put it this way, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." See if it helps your week to become seven days of delight instead of "two down, two to go." Experiment and find out if it's true that "blessed is the one who takes refuge in the Lord."

Tommy's Mom, Joe's wife, Nancy's daughter, someone's cousin . . . Do you ever feel like you don't know who you are? Are you so busy taking care of everyone else at home AND at work that you feel like you've lost your identity? Or perhaps it's not lost, you never had it in the first place!

As moms, it's easy for us to feel that way. Someone always needs us to do something. We know we're indispensible, but we certainly don't feel important. And perhaps it's only a mother who knows those two terms are not necessarily interchangeable.

But there is one other who knows. God knows. He sees what you do, knows what you think and understands how you feel. Best of all, He created you, so He knows the REAL you. He sees your potential, and in His eyes that's what you look like.

As I read about Gideon recently, I thought, "I often feel like this Old Testament judge," the least of the least. (if you don't believe me, check out verse 14) Sometimes I feel as though no one sees me, and if it wasn't for all that people need me to do, I might not exist. (Fortunately, as I get older and see myself more in the light of Christ, these times get fewer and farther between).

God, however, saw a different Gideon. The angel of the Lord, messenger of the Most High, sent by God Himself, called Gideon "Mighty Warrior." Gideon probably looked around to make sure he really was the only other one there. Like us, Gideon didn't feel mighty. He didn't feel like a warrior. He felt insignificant and under appreciated.

If you have a moment, go ahead and read all of Gideon's story. It's just a few chapters. You'll see that Gideon, living in the truth of God's Word, became a mighty warrior just as the angel said. Gideon could have chosen to go back to his comfortable, yet mediocre, life and ignore the truth. He
could have blown the angel off and kept right on hiding in the wine press. But instead, he chose to believe that God knew what He was talking about. He chose to live as God saw him rather than live in the shadow his friends and family had created.

One of my favorite Veggie Tales videos is "The Snoodle's Tale." Its message is the message of Gideon. God sees us the way He created us, not the way our friends and family have convinced us we look. And when we live in the truth of God's Word, we can soar!

So, I encourage you this week to discover what you look like to God. Listen for "The Voice of Truth" (that's a good song by "Casting Crowns") and live in the beauty and knowledge that you are a precious creation of the Almighty with more potential than you can possibly unleash in this lifetime! Oh, but let's try!

Wasn't it just a few weeks ago we were snowed in and enjoying the excuse to take the day off? Despite that fact, here we are running the air conditioning in our cars and homes and hoping to catch a little sun on our days off. Because of all the heat, water becomes one of our favorite things this time of year. We drink more, and we love beach or lake vacations. We dream of the sounds of the ocean and even a cool rain is welcome on those sweltering days.

Water, it brings to mind so many pictures. Water refreshes and quenches, it cools and cleanses. Brooks babble, streams surge, rivers roar. The sounds of water are so soothing that they have been recorded and put in white noise machines to calm us after a long day or to help us sleep. And God uses water to illustrate our need of Him over and over.

Water refreshes. In Jeremiah 31:25 God told the people of Israel, "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint." God wants to refresh us. But much like the refreshing we receive from water, if we want a spiritual refreshing, we have to put ourselves in a place where we can feel the refreshing. It's difficult to stay water refreshed if we are never near the source of water. Likewise it is difficult to stay refreshed in Christ and feel the promise of His good gifts if we don't draw near to the source.

Water cleanses. We use it daily to wash our dishes, our clothes and even ourselves. Throughout the Old Testament we read story after story telling what the Israelites needed to do to be clean. "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" may not be a phrase from scripture, but it certainly is a theme. Leviticus is a book full of rituals the people of Israel were expected to perform to stay right with God. Many of these consisted of a ceremonial washing followed by a time of separation. Although Jesus' death on the cross did away with all of those ancient regulations, the fact that God instituted baptism reminds us that God expects us to be clean. Water is an obvious symbol for the purification we need to be people of a perfect and holy God.

And water gives life. It's said that the human body can live for at least 2 weeks without food. Water, on the other hand, is necessary at least every 2-3 days, and most doctors and weight loss experts recommend 64 ounces every day! Our body is made up of 70% water, so it's a huge part of our survival needs. In Revelation 21:6-7 Jesus says, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son." As important as liquid is to our earthly existence is Jesus to our eternal. Plus, Jesus' life giving water is available to us even before we reach our final home.

So, this Summer as you head out to the water park or pool, when you wash the car or run through a sprinkler with you children, be reminded that Christ wants to give us this cleansing, refreshing, life giving water, and He wants to give it you today.