OK, if you are a mom, I am sure you have felt as I have..."Am I doing this right?" My two eldest are grown, my 3rd is soon to be gone and my 4th is quickly getting closer to being 18 than a child. Satan attacks at our weak points. Sunday, I was so low. I kept thinking of "I should've done this more." "I should've done more of that." etc. You can quickly see how Satan can use this looking back and self-defeating process. Needless to say, by the time church rolled around and I was leaving, I felt as if I were a failure as a mom, failure at life as I'm sure I'm not doing it correctly either, just couldn't see the forest for the trees.
So, I prayed, "God, I really need help. I can't redo raising my kids. I did the best I could. I took them to church everyday of their lives, raised them to know who You are, but I could've done so much more. More board games, more involved with bedtime prayers, etc. God, help me to let this go."
I popped in a cd of Chonda Pierce and began to let the music minister to my soul. Soon I was praising God for His goodness. Freedom was starting to break the shackles that Satan was trying to bind me with....my desire for perfection in all things I do.
By the time I reached church, the message was right on target. It was all about one of my favorite verses Eph 3:20 but I had honestly never seen the last part of that verse "according to the power that is in me." It's referring to the fullness of Jesus Christ in me which makes me able to do all things He has for me to do. That means that I did do the job of mom to the best of my ability with what I knew at that time with what I had. I had not purposefully shoved my children away, neglected them, harmed them, etc. There are not any real life Brady Bunch or Ozzie & Harriet families....just real ones with all the lumps, bumps, and love mixed in.
Today, lest I forget what God was trying to get through my thick skull of perfectionism, my youngest son has been ill with a virus and I've been being a "nurse". He said, "You're a good mom." It took my breath. I so needed to hear those words! Later, when he was a bit more up to chat, I asked, "What makes you think I'm a good mom?" No response. So, I asked again, "What makes you think I'm a good mom? Is it because I don't whallop you in the head with a ball bat?" Then I grinned at him. He then said, "Give me just a minute."
He then finished his "work" and it was a 2 page list of things he was grateful for that I do for him that I thought no one even noticed. One example is "You are a good mom because you wash my clothes." All total there were appx. 50 items he listed. Each one simple, nothing grand, mom-stuff that I thought had no value but he saw as priceless.
What is it that God's word says, "Forgetting what lies behind, and pressing forward?" That's sound advice.
So, I prayed, "God, I really need help. I can't redo raising my kids. I did the best I could. I took them to church everyday of their lives, raised them to know who You are, but I could've done so much more. More board games, more involved with bedtime prayers, etc. God, help me to let this go."
I popped in a cd of Chonda Pierce and began to let the music minister to my soul. Soon I was praising God for His goodness. Freedom was starting to break the shackles that Satan was trying to bind me with....my desire for perfection in all things I do.
By the time I reached church, the message was right on target. It was all about one of my favorite verses Eph 3:20 but I had honestly never seen the last part of that verse "according to the power that is in me." It's referring to the fullness of Jesus Christ in me which makes me able to do all things He has for me to do. That means that I did do the job of mom to the best of my ability with what I knew at that time with what I had. I had not purposefully shoved my children away, neglected them, harmed them, etc. There are not any real life Brady Bunch or Ozzie & Harriet families....just real ones with all the lumps, bumps, and love mixed in.
Today, lest I forget what God was trying to get through my thick skull of perfectionism, my youngest son has been ill with a virus and I've been being a "nurse". He said, "You're a good mom." It took my breath. I so needed to hear those words! Later, when he was a bit more up to chat, I asked, "What makes you think I'm a good mom?" No response. So, I asked again, "What makes you think I'm a good mom? Is it because I don't whallop you in the head with a ball bat?" Then I grinned at him. He then said, "Give me just a minute."
He then finished his "work" and it was a 2 page list of things he was grateful for that I do for him that I thought no one even noticed. One example is "You are a good mom because you wash my clothes." All total there were appx. 50 items he listed. Each one simple, nothing grand, mom-stuff that I thought had no value but he saw as priceless.
What is it that God's word says, "Forgetting what lies behind, and pressing forward?" That's sound advice.
Replies
Oh I so needed to hear that. Today I was berating myself for all the thongs I never did as a Mom. I Tried as hard as my sick little body would let me but I always felt there was so much more I should have don\'t. More praying with them...more patlence and on. You are right there aren\'t any do overs
I am sure you have been agreat mom and it makes me happy to know your son appreciates you...I bet you appreciate the blessing that is your son. Hope he is feeling better soon
My dearest NAN - Yes, he\'s finally over bout 2 of the stomach virus. It\'s so hard being a mom. You want to teach them right from wrong, yet, you are so unsure if you are being to harsh or to easy in your decisions. And, let\'s be honest, if you\'re a mom, sometimes you are so tired/sick, you just need to go to bed and let things go that you\'d rather be able to do if you were CAROL BRADY or JUNE CLEAVER. Don\'t you just want to smack them? LOL