From a progressive dinner with family and friends
When life is extra busy and demands for your time stack up like firewood against an expected long winter …
When pressures from without and within build greater than you think you can bear …
When it seems there’s just not enough you to meet every need …
What’s your response? Do you retreat? Lash out? Do less, in a wild effort to retain some sort of energy for yourself?
Perhaps that’s not the best way. All of those are my natural reactions, too. But something Sarah said one day gave me pause. As I wrote in The Mom Walk …
“One day, during some heavy, depleting financial issues in our family’s life, I decided to get up before everyone else. I made homemade pecan-apple pancakes, lit candles, put on soothing instrumental music, and had a lovely table set when the kids and Clay arose. We all enjoyed the breakfast surprise together. After we finished, Sarah was sitting next to me on the couch. She kissed my cheek and said, ‘You know, Mom, when you act happy and bring joy to our life, I feel secure and that all is well. But when you are upset and down, I feel guilty, like we have done something wrong and it makes me feel like brooding. Thanks for making the effort. I feel happy this morning.’
I realized that one of the roles God wants me to play in my children’s lives is a conductor of joy, happiness, and celebration. After all, God designed our need for these things into our very hearts. We were made to enjoy life and our Creator, and we were meant to choose to live in His beauty and provision.
This doesn’t mean I won’t have difficulties or times of depression. But I do have choices I can make as a mom that will determine the environment in my home. When I choose to notice, every day, the beauty of my children instead of the duties my children bring my way, I am worshiping God. When I choose to notice the gorgeous sunsets and the spring flowers in the midst of busy days, I am teaching my children to dance, so to speak, through their days. When I choose to believe in the goodness of God and verbalize my love for Him, and make an effort to provide delightful food, thoughtful cards, and moments of fun, I am showing my children a God they will be willing to serve– a God who delights in filling their deep desires for intimacy, happiness, purpose, and beauty.”~ from The Mom Walk
The Lord understands our weariness! And He is also able to give us the grace to deal with the stresses and personality conflicts and disappointments and burdens of life. He gives us puppies to laugh over and spicy foods to enjoy and beautiful music to delight our ears even in the midst of crazy days. Today, what loveliness can you find to share with your family, to show them the wooing grace of the Father?
What a beautiful post this morning. This is so uplifting and encouraging and is a wonderful reminder to me today in my stage of life. Thank you so much. God has used you today.
I’m so thankful for how the Lord uses your words to move my heart! Thank you.
I think if I were in church, I would say an audible “amen.”
Great post, and so very true. My mood usually affects my whole family.
Needed this…thank you. The Lord just keeps confirming the same message these last few weeks. We are going through an extremely challenging season and I needed to be reminded to “stop and smell the roses” with my beautiful family. You are a huge blessing to me. The Lord has used your books to inspire and change me!
What a beautiful visual – being a conductor of joy. Thank you for that!
Hi, I LOVED this post. Hopped over here from MomHeart. I love how the way we choose to view life in the midst of circumstances really does play such a huge role in the atmosphere of our home…. This was a super encouraging read… Thanks so much!
For anyone who’s interested, yesterday on my blog I shared a devotional that I had written earlier this year about another of God’s invitations to us during stressful times. Hope it blesses some of you who may read this.
http://kcbutlersatimetolaugh.blogspot.com/2012/09/how-he-expands-our-hearts.html
Blessings to you today!!
Dana
Thank you. I will look for the beauty today.
as a young mother of 3 kiddos under 3, i SO needed this!! i just came across your blog (not even sure how, but i now know it was God!) and it’s been a breath a fresh air to my weary soul. yesterday Iiordered one of your books too and will most likely devour that too, much like I’ve been doing with your blog. thanks again for all your amazing, life-giving posts!!!
Oh…how God used this to illumine my day…and my week.
Thank you for sharing from your very real and human heart!
I have long since moved out of my parents home, and now have 4 kids of my own, but I can completely identify with your daughter’s words. I never verbalized that to my mom, but I often thought it. And now, being a mom myself it’s true! If mom ain’t happy, there’s a cloud over the whole house. As moms we can choose happiness and create an atmosphere for our homes. And we’re not talking about “surface” happiness that a shopping spree, or coffee out with ladies, or date night with the husband, or a new hairdo will bring. This is deep, chosen happiness rooted in what Christ has accomplished for us overflowing onto our families each moment of everyday.
I’m going to print this post out, it’s such an encouragement to me! I have really known my Father’s grace over this past year. My husband was diagnosed with depression/anxiety disorder in March, and for many months our lives were pretty well turned upside down. With Daddy so unwell, our 8 beautiful children really craved the reassurance and security of Mummy being happy and peace-filled. It was very, very difficult at times trying to calmly continue on with the busyness of day to day life with a smile on my face, when all I wanted to do was sit down and have a good cry! When I went to bed at night, I would picture myself crawling up onto my Father’s lap and just resting there, safely cocooned in His loving arms. Such peace! Yes, the past year has been one of the hardest of my life. Yet it has also been a year that has borne such sweet fruit in our family, by the grace of God alone. The Lord has shown us all – my husband, myself and our children – that He will never leave us or forsake us. We are always perfectly held, always deeply loved, always fully accepted in Jesus. That is reason to rejoice!
Dear Father, I lift Rebecca up to You this morning. In the midst of this depression, please remind her that her battle is not against flesh and blood (her husband) but against the devil who came to steal and kill and destroy. Surround her with Your blood Jesus. Pray through me Holy Spirit. Embrace this family with incredible love and support. Surround Rebecca with friends who will lift her up when she is down. Only You Abba know what this darling woman needs. Thank You for being her Father, her Savior, her Spirit who prays for her. In Jesus’ Name, Amen~
What a beautiful post! It is a timely one for me, as well. Last night, my daughter hosted her entire volleyball team for a sleepover and I was feeling somewhat grumpy this morning after very little sleep. Your post reminded me to count all the joys of today instead of allowing my tiredness to determine my mood. Thank you! God bless!
This was perfect for us this week! Thank you.
This is just what I needed for the end of my day! Thank you and God Bless you!
Thanks you! Beauty isn’t fleeting…It’s right there where God left it. It is our choice (sometimes hard) to receive it and pass it along. Thanks for passing it along…Oh, would you please pass the gravy while you are at it?
Oh, how I needed this today!!!!! Thank you so much for the encouragement of giving life and finding beauty when we feel that there is nothing left to give nor no beauty worth mentioning. It is when we are weakest that He is strongest, right?
Thank you *so* much for the reminder and for your amazing ministry. I know you know it, but it is so needed! Blessings.
Lovely blog post filled to the brim with peace and wisdom. Thanks for sharing.
God used this post to speak to me EXACTLY where I was last night after blowing it with my family and wanting to retreat from them and my sinful anger. Instead, I got up at 530 and made pancakes. It has still not been a perfect day, but God please help me infuse my house and my heart with joy. Thank you, Sally, for your wisdom and tenderness.
Thank you so much for this post! I needed to hear it desperately today.
I have 2 little ones and one of them has been on a feeding tube for a year & a half….so some days are very long and it’s hard to find the joy. It brought tears to my eyes about what your daughter said – my little girl has said something similar to me. Thank you for the reminder of how our attitudes as moms affects our home, husband and children.
Thank you…