Right now I’m reading Hope for the Weary Mom with our online Bible study group. A few weeks ago in chapter 3 the focus verse was Matthew 11:28-30:
Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light.
I also read these two blog posts that week from The Better Mom on God’s gentleness with young moms and Sally Clarkson on exhaustion that really spoke to me. Right now I’m living at a crazy frenzied pace. My load is so heavy my shoulders are literally filled with tension from it and my mind can’t keep everything straight.
So what’s a girl to do? God’s given me my husband and children and they come with a lot of work just in themselves. Then comes this urge to write that I just can’t ignore, and…and…and… So how do I know which things are truly from God and which are not?
For starters I think it’s like my friend Amy from church has pointed out a few times during Bible classes. She says in her current job she’s learning to only do what her boss asks of her, not what the needy person on the phone requests of her. If the phone call doesn’t equal what her boss told her to do, she needs to let it go or at least check with him first. She’s learning to apply the same idea to her relationship with God.
Truthfully, I’m so terrible at this! I see a need, a good need, and I run to do it before I even ask God if it’s where we wants me. I need to remember to ask God, even in the small things.
I also think it’s like Stacey points out in the chapter three. Yes, there are jobs we need to get done. Teaching our children about God, taking good care of them, cleaning…But often the expectations we lay on ourselves about those jobs are much greater than the ones God has for us. We think our house needs to be sparkly clean all the time and the kids need a three course meal and all these special activities, when really just clean laundry, even in a pile on the table, and a picnic outside of sandwiches would do.
Then there’s the responsibility to raise our children up to follow God. How do we do that?! Especially, when we see so many walking away once they leave home. In this area I’m learning from writers like Brooke McGlothlin in Praying for Boys and others that it’s NOT about me. Daily, hourly even, I need to come to God and place my children in his hands. I need to trust Him to give me my “daily bread” for today. The wisdom, strength, insight, patience that I need just for today. When I’m clueless about how to parent these boys, I need to run to God and trust Him to give me and them what is needed for today.
That level of trust in God is hard for me. But on the days when I’m able to trust fall into His arms and pray, “God what do you want of me today? Please give me what I need today to be a good mom to my children and to lead them to you.” He always answers abundantly! Items on my list I thought were important slide away, and I find out it turned out all right anyway. Just the right blog post will end up on my screen right when I need that message. An “out of the blue” idea will occur to me for my present parenting puzzle. He ALWAYS answers. And it’s always more that I could “think or imagine.”
So today I challenge us to lay aside all the burdens we’re carrying. You may even need to visualize laying them all at Jesus’ feet. Then kneel in front of Him and ask him what HE wants for you today. Ask him for the daily bread you need for today, even though you don’t know what it is, He does. Then wait and watch in expectation for His answer.
Great article, Tara! Sure wish your blog had existed when I was raising my two boys. . .but then, come to think of it, computers were just starting to get popular and we didn’t own one! Raising kids is the most challenging job we will ever have in life. You are so right that we can’t do it without God’s help! Love you!
Aunt Sue