"How Extra Are You as a Mom?"

Often, I tend to see similar photos circulate the web throughout a short span of time. 

One that I have seen shared by quite a few people I know is a meme with cute, dainty snacks (think perfectly cut sandwiches shaped like dinosaurs and various fruits and vegetables shaped like critters) and the sentence "How extra are you going to be as a Mom?".  Have you seen the one I am talking about?

I tend to let out a silent groan every time I see this.  Don't get me wrong, I would love to be that mom that is on top of her game 24/7.  But I am not.  I am that mom that is scrambling to throw together a lunch 5 minutes before getting kids into the car.  I am that mom that has a messy house and has to play catch-up clean night every Friday night once the kids are in bed.  I am that mom that will often just grab two socks... if they match it's just a bonus.  If you catch me on a good day, you may see the floor of the back seat of my car.  

I enjoy putting together neat crafts, but quite honestly I feel that my time is spread thin as it is, and I would rather play with my kids than spend my nights placing raisins in a specific spot for a special snack for each child in my daughter's class.  I know God hasn't made a requirement for moms to be perfectly crafty, have a clean house at any point in the day, have children that are perfect angels all the time and get to the gym for 2 hours a day.  But still.... at times I feel guilty that I am not reaching the world's standard of an "extra good mom".  

I think the problem can be though... we can often get so trapped in the idea that we need to live up to these unattainable standards, that we forget to teach our children what is of utmost importance.  That is, to teach our children to love God and through that love, to love others.  As a mother to two daughters, I strive to teach my girls that they are beautiful and they are loved, and they are designed by the ultimate Creator with a purpose.  I want them to have a personal relationship with God, and due to this relationship to have a beauty that just radiates from within them.  

 

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 

– Proverbs 31:30

I guess, my point of all this is... from the standard of the world, I am not very "extra mom-ish".  But I am enough.   God has placed two wonderful children in the care of both Wes and I.  And although we mess up, by the grace of God (only by the grace of God) I can move forward and help my children learn from my mistakes.  When my girls are old enough to move out on their own, they may not have memories of living in a home straight out of a magazine, and they may not have a childhood that is filled with homemade meals each day and hand stitched clothes.  But they will have the power of praying parents behind them and the knowledge that the God of the universe loves them.  And that is enough extra to last a lifetime.    

Praying for Your Family

Prayer has always been something that comes naturally to me.  I will easily let others know that I will keep them in my prayers, and in most cases I was true to my word.  But for some reason, praying for those closest to me seemed... tough.

Of course, Wes and I pray with the girls, but it has become almost habitual.  Our prayers are often the same Yub-a-dub-dub thanks for the grub type prayers.  If I am completely honest, it has been a while since I have fallen to my knees in complete awe of the wonder of God and who he is. 
 

These past few weeks, I have never been so convicted of the same thing over and over.  I have felt God teaching me the same lesson, with slight variations, just in case I didn't get it the first time (which to be honest is usually the case).  And each lesson, building one after another.

1. I have just finished a series about discerning the voice of God, and the thing that hit me hard was the fact that as Christians who fall under the New Covenant, we have complete access to the Holy Spirit.  We no longer have to go through a middle man to speak to God.  God indwells in us.  Of course, for those who grew up in the church this is something we have been taught from a young age.  But think about it deeply...God indwells in us. We are so utterly and completely lucky to be able to have this type of one-on-one communication with God.  Those under the Old Covenant would kill for this opportunity.  
2. God wants to hear from us.  He wants us to bring him our deepest concerns, but we need to be aware that God has plans that are much bigger than our own.  This is where I started to see how often I treat prayer as a quick get it over with type ordeal.  I need to be in constant communication with God so I can catch glimpses of what it is that He has for me and my family       
   1 John 5:14         This is the confidence we have approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us.   
3.  I need to pray for my family.  It's no lie that marriage is hard.  These last few years, Wes and I have learned that more than any other time.  As a wife and mother, I need to be covering my house in prayer.  Satan wants nothing else than to cause strive in the household.  But the amazing thing is, this is not God's will for us.  If I am honest with myself, I have not been praying the way I should for my family.  I need to pray for my marriage, that God will use it to bring glory to only Him.  I need to pray that I can love my husband and children in the way God has loved me.  I need to pray that I am being an example of grace and mercy.  
4. I need to pray with my husband.  This is where I was convicted the most.  Wes and I have prayed together, but we have not made it a daily habit.  And quite honestly, it's awkward at first.  Funny how you can pray with others, but when praying with your husband... it can feel awkward.  Why is that? I honestly don't believe Satan wants couples praying together.  For good reason.  When couples pray together, families are changed, children notice, and families carve out space to allow God to move.  

I am learning, just how special prayer is.  As a wife and mother, I need to be supporting my household and uplifting each of my family members in prayer.  Please keep our family in prayer as we try to be intentional with our prayer.