Mommy and the Joyful Three 11/09/10
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)
This week has been littered with hurdles. Mountains have been placed in my path and my days seemed to be an obstacle course of stress.
Even feeling this way, I had to decide if it was going to let my days conquered me or if I was going to have faith that God would help me conquer my obstacles.
Parenting is stressful. Between tantrums, sickness, and all of the road blocks parents face, it can be hard to even have the strength at night to brush your own teeth, let alone pat yourself on the back for a day well done.
I love being a mother; not once have I regretted this whole parenting thing. But, there are days where I think I am not good enough, not worthy enough, and not capable enough to raise my kids in God’s way.
We all feel this way from one time or another, at least all parents I know do. These thoughts give way to doubt, preventing us from parenting with faith.
It can be hard on you when your to do list is longer than your day, and you can’t find your way through the noise and confusion of parenting and life.
I had a friend over the other day and I was going on about one stress or another and she simply stated, “I always like to think about how God knows what we can handle.”
That statement convicted me. It was unintentional on her part, but it made me wonder why I was complaining about having too much going on in my life when in fact it is an abundant blessing of what God knows I need and can do. It is God’s faith in me.
If God surrounds me with His love, then how can I fail? Even if I am not always perfect, even if I may have food stains on my shirt, my hair is not brushed, my house is not cleaned every day, and dinner is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches… again, how can I be a failure if I have His love?
I saw this in my own daughter the other day. Myley is on the potty training path to success and she has been doing so great. The other day, she had an accident and she looked overwhelmed. When I asked her why she looked so sad, she said “I didn’t go potty right.” I laughed and said, “Yes you did, you just didn’t go in the right spot, but it‘s OK, you tried!”
She smiled and seemed pleased with herself again. How can I get mad at her for trying? Even if she doesn’t always succeed, her heart is in the right place. I don’t want her to be mad at herself and allow her one mistake to prevent her from trying again.
Sometimes I do that. I make a mistake and then I want to quit what I was trying to do. I want to throw in the towel and hide under the covers.
If I did this every time I made a mistake, I would never get out of bed. At the same time, it can be hard to stand up and try again if you’ve been hurt or unsuccessful.
God knows our hearts are in the right place if we are trying to please Him. Even if we do not always have the smoothest of days, He is right there cheering us on as we live for Him. He understands that mistakes will happen.
The reality is that perfection here on Earth is unachievable; there is no perfect parent, person, or thing in life. As our Heavenly Father God is guiding us, He does not expect that we will get it right every day. He created us and knows that our lives are going to be full of days that are crazy, complicated, and sometimes extremely hard. In His love for us, He forgives our mistakes, and loves us through it all, just as we do with our children.
I love that God uses our failings and bad days as teachable moments. He can take any wrong in our life and turn it to good, if we let Him. We just need to let Him do His work in our lives and not allow Satan (or the potty) defeat us.
God Uses Our Bad Days
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)
This week has been littered with hurdles. Mountains have been placed in my path and my days seemed to be an obstacle course of stress.
Even feeling this way, I had to decide if it was going to let my days conquered me or if I was going to have faith that God would help me conquer my obstacles.
Parenting is stressful. Between tantrums, sickness, and all of the road blocks parents face, it can be hard to even have the strength at night to brush your own teeth, let alone pat yourself on the back for a day well done.
I love being a mother; not once have I regretted this whole parenting thing. But, there are days where I think I am not good enough, not worthy enough, and not capable enough to raise my kids in God’s way.
We all feel this way from one time or another, at least all parents I know do. These thoughts give way to doubt, preventing us from parenting with faith.
It can be hard on you when your to do list is longer than your day, and you can’t find your way through the noise and confusion of parenting and life.
I had a friend over the other day and I was going on about one stress or another and she simply stated, “I always like to think about how God knows what we can handle.”
That statement convicted me. It was unintentional on her part, but it made me wonder why I was complaining about having too much going on in my life when in fact it is an abundant blessing of what God knows I need and can do. It is God’s faith in me.
If God surrounds me with His love, then how can I fail? Even if I am not always perfect, even if I may have food stains on my shirt, my hair is not brushed, my house is not cleaned every day, and dinner is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches… again, how can I be a failure if I have His love?
I saw this in my own daughter the other day. Myley is on the potty training path to success and she has been doing so great. The other day, she had an accident and she looked overwhelmed. When I asked her why she looked so sad, she said “I didn’t go potty right.” I laughed and said, “Yes you did, you just didn’t go in the right spot, but it‘s OK, you tried!”
She smiled and seemed pleased with herself again. How can I get mad at her for trying? Even if she doesn’t always succeed, her heart is in the right place. I don’t want her to be mad at herself and allow her one mistake to prevent her from trying again.
Sometimes I do that. I make a mistake and then I want to quit what I was trying to do. I want to throw in the towel and hide under the covers.
If I did this every time I made a mistake, I would never get out of bed. At the same time, it can be hard to stand up and try again if you’ve been hurt or unsuccessful.
God knows our hearts are in the right place if we are trying to please Him. Even if we do not always have the smoothest of days, He is right there cheering us on as we live for Him. He understands that mistakes will happen.
The reality is that perfection here on Earth is unachievable; there is no perfect parent, person, or thing in life. As our Heavenly Father God is guiding us, He does not expect that we will get it right every day. He created us and knows that our lives are going to be full of days that are crazy, complicated, and sometimes extremely hard. In His love for us, He forgives our mistakes, and loves us through it all, just as we do with our children.
I love that God uses our failings and bad days as teachable moments. He can take any wrong in our life and turn it to good, if we let Him. We just need to let Him do His work in our lives and not allow Satan (or the potty) defeat us.
About This Blogger
Erin James is a freelance writer, mother of three, and author of CBN.com's Mommy blog.