Sunday, April 22, 2018

Mom with Confidence

Is it just me, or do any other moms out there feel like all of the choices and recommendations and guides make our lives harder rather than easier sometimes? I mean it started for me before my firstborn was out of the womb! I remember standing in Buy Buy Baby looking at the pacifier options and saying out loud, "Are you kidding me?"! There were so many different brands and styles and within each brand there were too many options of color and patterns.  They all had packaging that claimed why their choice was the best.  There were different "sizes" based on the age of the baby, and some had a dentist recommendation.  I really just wanted to pick one that came in yellow to match my nursery choice at the time.  It's a pacifier for crying out loud! 

Another time the choice bus ran me over was when I was looking for a Mother's Day Out program.  I thought I could just call a few churches nearby and see what the cost was and the hours. I had no idea there would be tours, applications, every possible combination of days and hours of availability.  People were talking to me about parents camping out or lining up before dawn to get the open spots and not end up on the waitlist.  Camping out? These aren't concert tickets!  Waitlist? This isn't the Ivy League.  We are talking about Mother's Day Out. I just wanted my 3 year old to have a place to color, play, sing songs and make friends.  Suddenly I was making pro/con lists and comparison charts and losing sleep.

The problem with all of these choices and recommendations and guides is every little decision gets elevated to DEFCON 1 status.  As moms, we are often making what should be minor decisions, but we can get psyched out and start to believe that choosing the wrong lovey will cripple our child's ability to be a good spouse in the future.  Y'all, we have got to stop allowing these things to mess with our heads, and I do mean we because I have to stop freaking out right along with you!

It starts with us remembering what is really important. As mothers and Christ-followers, our number one job when it comes to our children is to lead them to a relationship with Jesus Christ.  That's the main thing. We want to expose our children to God's goodness, love and truth.  The future that matters most is their eternal future.  As you are making day to day or even moment to moment decisions, discern what only matters in the moment and what will matter for eternity.  The momentary things don't need as much of your energy, attention, or time in thought.  

Once you get your perspective right, remember that you are the person God chose to be mama to your  children.  However you got your kids--birth, adoption, surrogacy or stork--they are yours! God chose you to receive them.  Our children belong to Him first, so the very fact that the Creator of the universe has trusted us with these children, should give us confidence.  We can be confident that God will also give us the wisdom and discernment to make good choices for our kids.  Will we make mistakes sometimes? YES! However, we will also recover from those mistakes with His help and, ladies, we get a lot more right than we tend to give ourselves credit for on a daily basis.

As Mother's Day approaches, I want to encourage you (and me) to live with the confidence that comes from knowing Christ and having His loving guidance in your life.  You have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, purifying your heart, offering counsel and comfort, and even praying for you.  He is advocating for you as a mama too!  When you are next hit with one of those DEFCON moments of motherhood, stop and pray.  Ask Him to give you peace and calm.  Read God's word and be reminded of what matters most, so you can approach your situation with the mind of Christ.  Be confident that the same God who made you a mom, is providing you with all of the resources and wisdom you need to raise your children in a way that pleases Him.  Motherhood was meant to bless us and grow us, not trip us up and take us down. I'm just sayin'!



In an effort to help all of us live more confidently, I created Confidence in Christ cards, a collection of a dozen cards each with a Bible verse and words of encouragement.  You can carry them with you in your purse, keep them on your desk at work, put them on the wall above the changing table, in your kitchen window above the sink while you do dishes, or anywhere you'll see them regularly.  Use them to help you memorize scripture and plant God's word in your heart so that it can strengthen you and build your confidence day by day.  Get a pack for yourself or for a friend who you know could use the encouragement!