Tags
Children, Christian, faith, Family, Goals, Marriage, Parenting, Personal Growth, Prayer, Purpose, Trusting God, Women
One day I came across Lisa-Jo Baker’s blog and I’ve been following ever since. I even link up with a community of bloggers who write from a word prompt she randomly chooses in what she calls Five Minute Friday. I love her writing. She does it so fluently with inspiration and sheer God-giftedness.
“I think you’re braver than you think.
And that motherhood should come with a superhero cape.
I blog about it over at http://www.lisajobaker.com”
Lisa-Jo, in her blogs, celebrates and encourages Mothers[hood] dubbing them “Super Heroes”. Her young children are adorable and the photos she posts of them tell stories that need no words, that is what I know to be ‘good photojournalism’. I read as Lisa-Jo writes about the joys and challenges of mothering and molding the lives of her young gifts, having a career, being a wife, and managing life in general. Her plate is full and spilling off the edges a lot of days.
Being a mother of three adult children and now a grandmother of two granddaughters (bka LoveJoys), I read the Gypsy Momma’s writings and I reflect. When I read her blog this morning, http://lisajobaker.com/2013/09/the-one-where-im-a-working-mom, I was inspired to write my own reflection.
“Children are the anchors that hold a Mother to life.” ~ Sophocles
So rewind over thirty years. It is not that easy any more to recapture all those moments. Thank God for photos that etch memories in our minds and hearts. My oldest son will be 34 in a couple weeks, my second son is 31, and my baby girl is 29.
“Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is His reward.” ~ Psalm 127:3
I love how Lisa-Jo says, “Each family has to find its own way through …” That is so true, marriage and parenting is unique to the family that God designs. So many elements play into each journey. As what I believe to be most significant to everything we do and experience in life, Christ, at the center is the defining factor. Christ as the nucleus of a family guides each individual and the collective along the adventure of parenting.
What I remember to be critical to my experience as a young mother was my faith-grounded marriage and my husband who was and continues to be a superb father. (He had the best example in his own father and Godly mentors.) Also, a support system of family, both naturally and spiritually. I too worked outside the home since my oldest son was a year old and aside from the time granted for maternity leave, I have always worked at a job where I still work. In retrospect, it was God Who enabled me to have a blessed (not perfect) marriage, raise my children, maintain my home, work, and serve in my church.
Motherhood is really a beautiful gift from God.
It is not easy, but it is so rewarding.
Even through the challenges and hard lessons, the midnights and nightmares, the right decisions and the not-so-right decisions. Through every phase, the “Am I doing it right” of infancy, terrible twos, discovery schooling years, moodiness of adolescence, and the right-of-passage of young adulthood, somehow you keep gaining and winning, but never quite finishing because parenting and motherhood never ends. It just evolves.
To young mothers, I encourage you and celebrate you. I’m cheering you on because you can do it. Put your Super Hero cape on each day, PRAY and TRUST GOD to give you the wisdom, strength, direction, resources, and support you need to be the best Mother you can be.
He will do it.
“Her children arise up, and call her blessed; …” ~ Proverbs 31:28
