fellow mamas, press on in hope

Y’all. The most precious thing ever happened to my mama-heart the other night. If you’ve been around these here parts for a while you may have heard me talk about my sweet middle son and how God has used him, and continues to use him, to crucify my flesh. A-hem. Meaning, I question my parenting abilities continually when in his presence. And we’re not even to the teen years yet! Lord, help me.

Anyway, the other night my daughter came running to get me with, “Mom, you have to come hear Bryson in the shower!” I quickly followed her down the hall, stopping at the slightly opened door of the bathroom.

He was preaching to himself, with inflection and passion and conviction. And I crumbled.

 

 

“…(mid-sermon) I don’t know how to think that! But GOD! God can think ahead. Like…what if I was one of the disciples, and God knew ahead. And God — Mom always told me that God is bigger — and God knew ahead that Penny (our dog) would bite me. And He knew ahead that I would hit Penny…” I recorded it.

He was preaching God’s omniscient sovereignty to himself — without the big theology terms. And seriously. I crumbled in the hallway. Especially when I heard him say, “Mom always told me…” Mom always told me.

Sometimes I grow weary in this mothering thing. Because I say something 8 gazillion trillion times and it seems like nothing is sinking in. Like I’m that Charlie Brown teacher, “wah wah wah wah wah.” Then moments like this happen. God graces me with a glimpse into my child’s soul where I get to see my boy process the depths of God. And I’m inspired to keep on. I’m inspired to keep on sowing seeds with hope of a one-day harvest.

 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
(Romans 15:13)

 

Jesus has something to say to our weariness, “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:8-10)

This passage isn’t exactly talking about motherhood, but the principles apply. We as moms sow seeds of truth — seeds to the Spirit — day in and day out. We sow and sow, often without seeing any harvest. But I believe that God wants to speak straight to our mama-heart, that we not grow weary in “doing good” — in teaching and training in the things of God — but that we press on with hope in Him, one step, then the next step, and then the next.

Weariness is rooted in hopelessness. And hopelessness isn’t our inheritance in Christ. God is our hope. He is the hope for our children. And He is good. So let’s not give up. When weariness presses down today, let’s preach true things to our souls — in due season we will reap the things we’ve sown to the Spirit. In Jesus name.

Oh and awesome side note, two days later, all three of my kids went through believer’s baptism! A long, amazing, unexpected story for another day.

Press on, fellow mama. Press on.

 
Fill me, Lord…

How have you seen hopelessness steal from you?
What truths are you going to think about today when weariness presses down?