The Masterpiece Mom

I’m Just Tired {A Mom’s Prayer}

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I sat starting at a blinking cursor and accompanying blank page for far too long trying to piece together a blog post in my mind, but nothing came. I’m just tired. Extremely tired.

The sight of a blank screen looking back at me cues the sleepy eyes, not the creative juices.

Then I remembered you’re probably tired too. I say probably a bit sarcastically, because of course you are! I realized neither of us need to read one more thing when we’re this tired. But we do need to pray. Oh Lord, we need to pray.

So let’s do that. Let’s cry out to the Lord with our whole tired selves who’d much rather be hunkered down in bed with a fuzzy blanket than making lunches and breaking up fights. Let’s pray to the One who makes all things new (Isaiah 43:19) and renews our strength (Isaiah 40:31).

If you need a prompt because your brain is too tired to think, I invite you to pray this prayer with me.

……

Heavenly Father,

I know I don’t have to tell you, because you already know, but I’m bone tired today. My body is weak, my brain can’t think, and I’m overwhelmed. 

Mothering well on top of all that is going on is proving to be difficult, and I need you. Thank you for your presence to comfort and to guide. 

You are the Great I AM, the Great Physician, and the Good Shepherd, so I know I’m in your good and holy hands. Thank you for your infinite power, healing hand, and watchful eye over me, my life, and my family. 

Today I ask for strength. Please forgive me for attempting to get through this season on my own power. Your Name is a strong tower. I run into it today, where I am safe (Proverbs 18:10). 

I also ask in Jesus’ Name for the enemy to be bound, and for my soul to be free from his attacks. May all his plans fail. Your Name, Lord is higher than any other name (Phillipians 2:9), no enemy of yours will ever prosper (Isaiah 54:17).

I praise you for who you are. The unstoppable, ever-loving, uber-creative, and all-powerful God who loves me. THANK YOU. I could never repay you for the gift of Jesus, who took my place and my sin, but I will live my days as an offering to you. 

In Jesus’ Name I pray,

Amen

 

……

We invite you to share this prayer with the moms you know. After all, we’re all tired. Amen?

How a Stuffy Nose Helped Me Fully Understand the Love of Christ

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Whenever my 3 year-old Emmy has even the slightest of stuffy noses, she’ll stir several times in the night thrashing and crying out in her sleep. No matter what we do to clear her nose (nasal aspirator, essential oils, blowing her nose), it doesn’t stay that way for long and she cannot seem to get a handle on breathing through her mouth while her nose is out of commission.

We always know we’re in for it for a couple nights in a row when this happens. She’ll cry out repeatedly trying to breathe through her nose, and gets mad as a hornet because she can’t. She becomes completely irrational and can’t be settled — as 3 year-olds often do.

One night right before Easter, I sat with her on the couch late into the night comforting and rocking her, praying her nasal passages would clear up so she could rest. She drifted off to sleep again as this thought came to mind,

“I wish I could trade places with her for the night.”

I was willing to suffer a little while, so she could sleep comfortably. If only that were possible.

In that moment, hopelessly worn-out from the extended mom hours that night, the Holy Spirit immediately brought Jesus to mind. Jesus willingly suffered much more than a stuffy nose for His children to be able to enter into His rest. (Hebrews 4) In that moment, I knew His heart for us.

I experienced a teensy bit of His love for His children in my love for my spirited little Miss and desire to see her whole and at peace.

That mama-love you display so faithfully, desiring that your child be well, be whole, and able to rest mirrors that of our Savior. So if you ever get the notion that you’re not enough, or are failing in a million different ways — remember this: you love and desire good things for your child like Jesus does for his. That doesn’t sound like failing — it sounds like a human mother doing what God created her to do.

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. ***

Reminding Ourselves WHO We Are … Changes HOW We Are

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I was recently visiting the little town I grew up in: Vancouver, WA.

And it never ceases to amaze me how quickly I get right back into the groove of living in the ‘Couve. My favorite shopping spots are there (Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and NW 23rd). Some of my favorite people are there (the church family I grew up in, my folks, my sweet little grandmother, my brother and his fam, and my best friend from college). It all just feels so normal. And, well, home-ish to me.

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!

When Your World Seems Topsy-Turvy

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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.” 

Counting It All Joy

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My soul was itching for a break, in desperate need of a slow Saturday timeout. Just me, my favorite cozy blanket (the one that looks like soft curly dog hair), and a hot cup of tea. Sheer bliss. I could almost feel my body relaxing at the mere thought of putting my feet up and doing absolutely nothing but stare at my socks. I had to refrain from audibly sighing as I hurriedly finished the last load of laundry and half-walked / half-ran to my favorite chair. Yes! At last!

But as I burrowed into my magnificent blanket oasis, a scratchy object caught my eye.

You have got to be kidding me, I grumbled aloud.

A booger. A nasty dried-out crusty ol’ booger on my beautiful birthday blanket! For the love! Who does these things? Seriously. Who cannot wait the 2 seconds it takes to walk a measly 15 feet to the bathroom and grab a tissue from the box? And who would have the audacity to wipe such a disgusting thing, something the body clearly did not want, from their nose onto my lovely clean blanket?!

Obviously my husband and I were exempt from this Guess Who game. My blood boiled as my dreams of a blissful mommy break went up in smoke in favor of finding the culprit and giving them a piece (or two) of my mind.

But then my thoughts did a little recall of the verse I’d read just that morning. It started with these powerful words: “Count it all joy…”

ALL? Really?

And JOY. That small, yet potent little word that had been creeping into my thoughts day and night. Jumping out at me in the most random places. At Target. At church. Online devotionals. Even my leftover Christmas décor was talking to me now.

You see, like many of you, I like to choose a word for my year. Something that will challenge me in my walk with the Lord and remind me to focus on Him when life gets out of whack. And the word JOY had been bouncing around in my head and heart for several days.

I adore the start of a new year. Though, of course, it’s just figurative. Nothing truly changes except the four numbers on the end of the date. But I love it anyways.

Unless you’re in a great minority, chances are,  your life is still the same as it was on December 31st. There are still bills to be paid. Relationships to navigate. Adult-ish duties to be taken care of like work, housework, cooking, and child-rearing.

While I love a fresh start (and a new wall calendar), I prefer the start of summer over all that comes with the arrival of January 1st. Summer releases me from all I find mundane. Routine. Schedules. Driving to and from activities for the older kids and school for one of the kids.

You see, my personality finds me allergic to sameness. You too? Especially when that sameness includes a hefty dose of hardship. 2015 was the most difficult year of my life. Hands-down. Even counting my parents’ divorce when I was a girl.

So I was ready to move on when midnight on the 31st rolled around and Jeremy planted a kiss on my lips to celebrate. But the hard season didn’t magically disappear when the clock rolled past twelve. It’s still the same.

What do we do when our circumstances are still the same when all we want is some newness? What do we do when life is still hard in this season and the change we’re hoping for hasn’t yet come?

The simple answer is we change our outlook on it.

Hard seasons are a bridge to a new and better season. Better yet, we see and draw closer to the Lord in hard times. That is, if we decide to. So if we decide to see our challenges as a bridge rather than a pit, we’ll be better for it. And with Christ, the victor, right at our side, we’re in good company.

These days, I’m choosing to journey on this bridge with my chin held high and my heart set on Christ and the victory that was already won up ahead.

So maybe the start of this new year won’t see a change in our life circumstances, but maybe the new year will see a change in us.

Pondering and Pouring Over Resolutions

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At the end of every year, I have this sudden panic attack. You know, the kind where you realize that all your good intentions to fulfill those well-thought-out resolutions from the previous year have somehow faded in the reality of the 365 busy and demanding days that have taken place since the inception of the resolutions. And all that is left is one sad disappointed mother drowning in a gigantic pile of mama guilt.

We moms are great at talking about goals. We can chat favorite planners and calendar apps all day long. But sometimes, between the feeding, the bathing, and the cleaning {add your daily To-Do list here}, our big plans and lofty aspirations get pushed to the wayside in favor of the immediate.

Crafting resolutions can be tricky business. We don’t want to set ourselves up for failure, and neither do we want to set our sights too low.

This is why I’m totally writing/speaking to ALL of us when I say:

We need to ponder and pour over our resolutions with serious amounts of prayer.

Before we stick those Post-It notes on our mirrors and jot long lists in our journals, let’s take a moment to pause and douse ourselves in Scripture and prayerful petitions.

And as we do so, let’s commit to asking ourselves the following:

–       Is this physically and emotionally feasible?  Making a goal that your 20 month old will talk in full sentences, know her complete alphabet and be reading by age 2 may not be in the realm of possibility for your family. Just sayin’.

–       Am I called to this?  Has God equipped you with the appropriate gifts and talents to fulfill this task? And is NOW the right time?

–       What is my motivation in setting this goal?  Is someone else pressuring you to join them in their resolution? Who are you trying to impress?

–       Is this from God, or simply my selfish desires speaking?  Is it for your gain or His glory?

Then if we’re still convinced this is a goal we should set (we’ve marinated in it thoroughly before creating our action steps), by all means, let’s write it in a prominent place. For promises that are quickly spoken can also be quickly broken. Having a visible reminder can be a very good thing. (Especially for those of us visual folks who need things written down and staring us in the face or we’ll forget them.)

And if life happens and we get a little sidetracked in our resolutions, let’s give ourselves a little grace, knowing that sometimes God likes to reformat our dreams and goals.

Or maybe we need a season to rest and refrain from making any resolutions. Maybe our only To-Do should be to simply be faithful in exactly what is right in front of us. And that is perfectly okay.

 {Portions of this post were taken from Shopping for Resolutions, an original work written by Anne-Renee Gumley for The Masterpiece Mom in December 2014.}