Strength

There are days when mothering is just hard.
Days when I am tired and the coffee got cold in my cup despite repeated reheats in the microwave.
Days when attitudes are bad and words fail to fix them, hugs are rejected, and I worry about the future.

Do I have have what it takes to do this?
Five kids.  I begged for motherhood, waited years for the dream to be reality.  But on those days I fear I have failed...that I'm just not as good at this as I thought I would be.  I struggle with the possibility that I will be blamed for their future problems, looked upon as too hard, too harsh, too lax, too weak.

Not enough.

There is a common thread that runs through all of these thoughts.

God is nowhere to be found in them.  In fact, these statements of fear and doubt are filled with "I's."

In my own strength, I am frail and weak and a failure.

But in Him?  Now that is where the hope lies.

Jesus is where the promises are kept.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face and the things of Earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.

My husband played a sermon for me today, sandwiching our wonderful church service between Francis Chan.

Pastor Chan said something that hung onto me...that I have chewed and meditated upon all day.

It was part of a story.  He had a conversation with a man about the Lord and the man said he "guessed" he believed there was a Creator.  But as they talked about the Bible, the man ridiculed him for believing the story of Noah.  It just sounded too ridiculous to him that those animals walked two by two onto the ark...ants, termites, cows, elephants.  It was just too far-fetched for him.

Pastor Chan then said what speared me right between my doubting eyes.

"If you believe that God can CREATE the ant, then of course He can make it get on the ark!"

Duh.

God is the Creator.  He created ME.  He gives me what I need for every day...the words, the hugs, the love it takes to train up these children in Him.  If he can make Man from dust, then he can raise up these children to follow Him with, without, or despite me.

Because, folks, it is not about ME.
Or you.
It is about HIM.  It is about HIS plans and purposes and we are created beings in the universe created by HIM and we have to do what He created us to do or we will be disobedient.

Period.

And if I am disobedient?  Well, He is still God and He will still accomplish His plan.  Just look at Abraham.

So, mommies, when you look at that brood of wiggly kids at your feet, when your teenager stares hard and angry into your eyes, when your son or daughter says "You can't make me," then you run straight to your Creator and let HIM do it.  He can make them do it.  Stand strong.  Be courageous.  Your enemy the devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour and he wants to devour you...and your babies.

But you, in the power of Jesus, have been made strong.  WE have what it takes to do this if, and only if, we draw our strength from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.   I say this for myself as much as I want to say it for you.  We cannot back down, we cannot doubt our abilities.  There will be good days where we think we have it all figured out...that the rough spell has passed and life is smooth and aren't they so well-behaved?  Then we will have those days where kids are argumentative, angrily silent, or disobedient and we will swear we have no idea what we are doing.

BOTH of these are lies.  Don't believe them.  We need to be on our face before the Father on good days AND bad, seeking HIS will for our children, confessing our failures, repenting of anger and bitterness and selfishness.  We must love intentionally, pray like crazy, and trust God's heart for us and our children when we feel doubt rearing it's ugly head.

Trust that the God who created them can make them get on that ark.