The Masterpiece Mom

Because You’re Not Alone and What You’re Doing Matters {plus a giveaway!!!}

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1. Praise Goes On – Elevation Worship (Here as in Heaven)

2. Only Hope I’ve Got – Ellie Holcomb (As Sure As the Sun)

3. You Are My One Thing – Bethel Music (We Will Not Be Shaken – Live)

4. Say the Word – Hillsong United (Empires)

5. You Make Me Brave – Bethel Music (You Make Me Brave – Live)

6. Let It Be Jesus – Christy Nockels (Passion: Take It All)

7. Hold Onto Me – Elevation Worship (Here as in Heaven)

8. O’Lord – Lauren Daigle (How Can it Be)

9. Everything is Mine in You – Christy Nockels (Let It Be Jesus – Live)

10. With You Now – Ellie Holcomb (With You Now)

 

Super bonus tip: if you’re a member of Amazon Prime, several of these songs are available for free through Amazon Music! Build a library and listen directly through your computer, or download the Amazon Music app! Our family is loving this feature.

Are there certain songs and albums that help you re-center your mind and get you to a calm and healthy place?  Please share!

Why We Need Your Story

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This is for the writer, the speaker, the dreamer, the artist in all of us.

Those with the desire to share what God is doing in their lives.

You may think your story is boring.

Or uneventful.

Or too this. Or too that.

But the truth is, your story is important. It’s needed.

Your family needs to hear it. Your fellow mom community needs to hear it. You need to hear it. Like out loud.

To proclaim what God has done, and how He is moving in and through your life. Through your story. Through the perspective that only you can give.

So often we allow our mouths to be muted to the work happening within us. Maybe we’re fearful. Apprehensive about what others may say. Or we need time. Time to process and figure out what it all means … to be a new creation; a transformed follower of Jesus. Being quiet can seem like the safe choice. The better choice. The easy choice.

For life in general has a way of shaping us and molding us. And not always in the most pleasant ways. Every day our patience levels are being stretched to their limits. Our sanity and compassion is being tested on an hourly sometimes minute-by-minute basis. Our knees and hearts ache with the prayers offered up in desperation, laying our hopes and dreams for our children (and for ourselves) at the foot of the cross.

And all these things, the moving and molding, the developing and discipleship, are all a part of our story.

So share it. Please.

Because it’s important. YOU, my friend, are important.

No story is the same. No life script identical.

So go and declare what God has done. What He is doing.

The world is waiting to hear about your life. In your words.

For those of you who know that burning within. The urge to share. Whether through writing, speaking, singing, painting, or simply sharing with your family. You know who you are. This is your call to action. However God has gifted you, use those gifts! For your family. For your friends. For the world.

LET  YOUR  LIFE  BE  A  MEGAPHONE  FOR  HIS  GLORY.

We’re cheering for you! xo

*** Keep your ears tuned for ways you may be able to share your mothering adventures and stories with The Masterpiece Mom in the future. We want to be a community that encourages and builds one another up. And one way we can do that is through sharing from our own mothering experiences (the good, the bad, and the embarrassing). More than anything, we want this space to be a place where you find hope and encouragement for your mothering journey, every step of the way. We’re excited to share more with you soon. Stay tuned. ***

For Every Mom

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I so wish I could take every single one of you out for coffee and spend the afternoon swapping stories and listening to what is really going on in your lives. And then after hearing about the hard things, the craziness, the unexplainable, the worrisome, and the gooey parts of motherhood that still make your heart melt, I would tell you it’s all going to be okay. For reals. And then smother you with a big ol’ hug.

But because the miles separate us, and the likelihood of me ever having enough money to buy every single one of you a really outstanding cup of coffee is close to nil (and because some of you don’t even like coffee), I’ve written you a letter instead. Inexpensive, but heartfelt. Because I love you. And also because I think you need to hear this – no matter how old your children are, or what season of mothering you find yourself in.

And if you want, you can read this in a coffee shop and imagine we’re sitting and sipping together. You with your favorite delicious concoction, and me with my 12 ounce Americano with English Toffee and a little cream (unless they have a really yummy sounding special and then I’m probably drinking that).

So dear sweet mama, this one’s for you.

Dear Mom,

 

Just BREATHE. It’s all gonna be okay.

For you are loved. More than you’ll ever know. (This side of heaven anyway.)

You don’t have to be fearful. You don’t have to worry.

And you don’t need to know all the answers.

Because believe it or not, God’s got it all under control.

Yes, your job is big and important. Very important. With lots of responsibilities and to-dos.

That’s why you need to REST in Him and His promises. Daily. Hourly. Minute by minute. He won’t let you down. I promise.

DIG DEEP into His Word and RELY heavily on His truths. (And not all that crazy stuff the world likes to shout at you.)

I know there’s been days … weeks … months … where you’ve felt tired and overwhelmed. Alone in your struggle. Alone in your duties.

But TRUST — you are not alone.

He sees you.

And,

He. Is. With. You. Always.

In all.

Through all.

So Mom, dear Mom, you’re doin’ great! And what you’re doing as a mom really matters. Keep up the good work! And know: We’re cheering for YOU!!!

 

With much love,

Anne-Renee (from The Masterpiece Mom)

 

P.S. – Your family is blessed to have YOU!

Where Did Happy Mama Go?

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What happened to happy mama?

The question hung in the air as I sat at the piano, my fingers perched gently on the keyboard. A beautiful piece by Debussy waited in front of me; one of my favorites. But somehow I couldn’t quite conjure up the desire to push down on the black and white keys. Like the actual undertaking of playing a song was too joyous for the cloud of doubt and dejection that seemed permanently suspended over my head.

The joy of the Lord is your strength.  (Nehemiah 8:10)

So You’re Drowning as a Mom, Now What?

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In the last fifteen years, I can pinpoint several specific seasons of motherhood where I was absolutely drowning.

I’m not talking about a string of bad days where everything seemed to go wrong. I’m talking about weeks, months, or possibly even years of struggle upon struggle. During these times, I’m tense, stressed, depressed, complain-y, moody, and an all-around grump with the unusual sense that the glass is perpetually half-empty. It is during these times I know I can’t continue down the current path.

Nope. Nuh uh. No way.

Something had to give or the mama of the house was going to completely FLIP. OUT.

If you’ve felt this way about your mothering, or you’re in this sort of season currently, I’m sorry. It’s a hard place to be.

A fellow mom I’ve known since she was a young teen recently contacted me in this exact position. She was overwhelmed and at the end of her rope. I clung to her words. They made perfect sense to me. I heard her cry for help through the words typed out in a Facebook message. I knew right where she was, because I’ve been there. Her words were so familiar. Her heart beat with a love for her children, and desire to do things differently, resulting in joyful mothering. Isn’t that what we all desire?

Some fun. Some peace. Some love, and some sanity thrown in for good measure?

Meeting and talking with my friend spurred on some of my own thoughts —  what sort of things have helped the hard seasons settle back into normal-ish routine and healthy thought patterns where I didn’t feel like running away or sending everyone off to Grandma’s for a year week?

I’ve narrowed it down to a few questions I’ve learned to ask myself when times are exceedingly tough.

1. What feels impossible right now?

Whenever I feel overloaded and burdened, it helps for me to actually put pen to paper and list everything that feels too difficult. Last year I wrote about it right HERE. Just getting it all out of my mind and in front of me in a notebook helps me see that, yeah, my load is lot to bear. It helps me understand that I’m not crazy or wimpy. It also helps me navigate conversations with Jeremy. I’m less ramble-y and more to the point when I’ve untangled the knots and figured out exactly what is making me so stressed. I’m also less likely to melt into a puddle of tears because I’ve already faced everything that feels hard, so the inevitable conversation I’ll have with my husband isn’t the first time I’ve faced it. Husbands appreciate this. Well, at least mine does. Just last night I made a list of all the difficult decisions we’re needing to make in the next few months. My list is ten items deep. I did this all before having a husband/wife chat about it. It helps. It truly does.

2. What seems to help alleviate the struggles?

So now that you’ve figured out your struggles, is there anything that actually helps alleviate some of the stress you’re feeling? Like, maybe you’ve realized that the stress you feel about your chronically messy house is actually helped when you’ve set the timer for 10 minutes before bed in the past and the whole family tidies the place up. Maybe the few months you spent in therapy for yourself really made a difference two years ago. It may be time to revisit that. If you’ve found something that alleviates the stress, jot it down. Maybe it’s the writer in me, but writing things down and seeing them right there on paper makes a big difference. Sometimes we need to stop and remember what has helped, because sometimes we give up new habits too soon.

3. Are there habits I’m clinging to that are draining the life out of my family and I?

Speaking of habits — some are life-giving, some are life-draining. Are there habits you’re engaging in that are sucking the life out of you and your family? Are you spending too much time on social media? Are you spending precious time thinking negative thoughts about yourself and others? Are you allowing your kids to run mealtime and bedtime? At times we get stuck in the way we’ve always done it, and get lost in thinking our current method is the only solution. I’ve seen moms completely lose their junk trying to make each child happy at a meal. “Oh, you don’t like the green beans and grilled cheese I made, my precious little lamb? Here’s some chips and hotdogs instead. You don’t LIKE THAT EITHER?” (Stomps away, or yells, or worse — makes them something else.) Maybe we’ll stop losing our junk if we drop the draining habits. There is another way. Are we clinging to habits that are life-giving or life-draining?

A wise mentor gave me some stellar advice recently when I spoke to her about a struggle I was having on a certain day of the week. She urged me to reorient my mind by making a new routine for that day — to break the unhealthy emotional cycle I was in by changing some of my actions. Do you know what? It’s working.

Let’s stop and consider how our methods are affecting ourselves and our families. And you guessed it! Write them down and consider letting a brand-new habit replace the most draining thing on your list. Baby steps. And if you get brave, and one of those new life-giving habits becomes routine? Tackle the second-most draining next, and so on.

4. Am I finding ways to feed my soul?

Ah, yes. We really do need to take care of ourselves. Are we communing with God through prayer and scripture reading/study? Are we handing burdens over to Jesus? After all, we weren’t meant to carry them. He’s waiting, ready to help.

Are we communicating with and making time for friends? Are we taking time to be “us”? I’m not talking elaborate days or weekends away from our families (though those are fun too!), I’m talking the everyday action of doing something we enjoy. Maybe it’s a date with Netflix after the kids are in bed. Maybe it’s reading or a daily phone call to someone you love. Maybe it’s a bath or painting your toenails. Maybe it’s conversation or a game with your spouse. Whatever feeds your soul, do more of that. Perhaps making a list of all the things we love to do would serve as a reminder to take care of us. More writing, I know. 

 

Some of us are in the midst of difficult times that are not solved by changing habits or writing things down. I feel you. But maybe some of what I’ve shared will help even a little bit. And for that I’m grateful.

Do you need prayer? Let us know in the comments, or email us: info(at)themasterpiecemom.com

We’d be honored to pray for you. 

When We Wish It Wasn’t This Hard

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I’ve often heard women say, “It shouldn’t be this hard.” I’ve often heard myself say the same.

Maybe I’m making it too hard. Maybe it really IS hard, and I’m not handling it well. Either way, let me share something with you that may or may not feel comforting.

It’s guaranteed to be hard.

In John 16:33, Jesus was speaking to His disciples about the times to come. He would be going away for a bit, but then they’d see Him again. He said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus sets a guarantee with those words that life will be troublesome at times. Possibly at more times than we’d care for. And to a greater degree than we ever thought possible.

In my mothering journey, the same kiddos keep doing the same wrong things day after day, year after year, with no end in sight. And I’m tired.

In my trust journey, the same fears and worries keep bubbling to the surface even though I’ve set them in Jesus’ ever-capable hands. I keep yanking them back, unintentionally mulling them over again and again, as if thinking about them and getting emotional about them will lessen their reality. And it doesn’t.

In my journey of following Jesus, I’ve set it in my heart to do whatever He asks of me. I’ve followed Him anywhere He led. And the heartbreak has been greater than I’d ever imagined it could be.

It can be difficult to make sense of it all.

We are not guaranteed a trouble-free life just because we follow Christ. We are guaranteed that He will be with us, leaving His peace for us. His presence and peace becomes the guarantee. Oh. Yes. We can’t do without that.

I would rather the troubles stay, than to be without His peace and presence as I navigate life.

After all, Jesus says their “grief will turn to joy.” (John 16:20) The hard times are not permanent. But how will they leave? When?

Our grief will turn to joy in His time. In His way. Keep trusting, keep hoping, keep laying those burdens down at His feet. Keep taking the next step He gives you to take.

“Take heart! I have overcome the world.” 

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