So I started out my day thinking " Today is Mother's Day. This is "MY" day! I want my kids to be extra good today and give me the time to myself that I want. I want my husband to to treat me extra special"...and so on. Well as my morning started to unfold so did my disappointments. My children were acting up and "MY" day was already not going the way I wanted it to.
It was then that I felt God gently tap on my shoulder and lovingly ask me if that was really what Mother's Day should be about.
If you did not read my previous blog I have really been praying, and asking others to pray, that God would change my heart and my attitude towards my kids, and well, this was really huge to me! I Love when God just really speaks to me and suddenly I get it! It's very humbling yet exciting at the same time!
So, instead of embracing what the world tells us that this day should be about, causing my day to be filled with disappointments and frustrations, make it a day of Joy and Excitement! The Joy of Being a mother; Excited that God blessed me with two beautiful, healthy children of my own! Mother's Day should be a reminder of what being a Mom is all about; in God's eyes. So I thought , "Ok, I will make today about how I can be a better mom. A day of embracing just being a mom and enjoying my kids.
Well God didn't stop there, because as I am pondering all these things in my head and cleaning my kitchen up at the same time, the kids start fighting and I am immediately pulled out my little happy place, and back into irritation and frustration that my kids just can't seem to get along, "of all the days, why can't they just not fight for today!" and then God gently tapped me on the shoulder again. (It amazes me how He stays so patient with us, after all he had just told me not to make that my focus and I say "Ok", then turn around and do it again! Sounds all too familiar when dealing with our own kids!)
So I asked God, "how can I remember throughout the day in each situation? I need some small simple reminder to trigger me to change my thinking." Then God gave me 3 simple words, "Reflect don't Expect".
My heart still jumps when I think about it. It is so PERFECT! I got so excited about the catchy little phrase I had to go write it down! Wow that is good I thought, I should try to patent that phrase! (As if it were mine...! Only such perfect words could come from our PERFECT Lord.) For all I know it may already be out there printed on something, or maybe you have heard it somewhere before, but to me it was new and, well, again perfect. So after having a little side step into what I could do with such a great phrase I really started thinking "Ok, what exactly does that mean to me?"
Reflect...on what kind of mother God wants me to be.
...on what I love about being a mother.
...God's love, patience and kindness back to my children.
I can think of quite a few things to reflect on and reflect out. And then the Don't Expect part...well that was pretty self explanatory. People and situations will always prove to let us down, so if I don't expect too much then I will be much less disappointed and frustrated. I am human however, and of course I would be a little sad if my husband had come home today and forgot to get me a card or say "Happy Mother's Day" to me. And it would be nice to be pampered and get breakfast in bed or just some time to do my nails or be by myself. But now I see it from a different angle and it is so much more beautiful from this view. After all, we would not be a mother without our husband and children so why not make it a day filled with time spent with them.
And you know, so far today has been a most wonderful Mother's Day!
I hope it is for all of you as well!
Just Reflect don't Expect!
God is Awesome!!!
The next day we went to the Great Wolf Lodge where they have an indoor water park. My friend has a little girl who turns 3 a few days after Nathan so we went here to celebrate both of their birthdays.
