Margaret McSweeney's Blog, page 34

12 Tips on Being a Great Mom

1. Being a mom requires sacrifice of self. Unless you realize this early on, you will see your children as burdens and will anticipate the days you do not have to spend with them. Keep in mind you are the mom, not their constant playmate. Keep the balance. Being a mom is one of the highest callings. May it be a joy.

2. Pray a lot. From the time they are in the womb, pray for their salvation, protection from the evil one who snatches the seeds of truth planted in them, for godly friends, for future mates, for purity, wisdom, character, and discernment. And for your adults you pray that God would draw them into His presence, and for their protection from the things that would draw them away from His presence, and to fear God in awe, and for the same things you prayed for them when they were little. Constantly. It doesn’t ever stop. There’s a battle going on for the mind and heart of your child. You need to be on the frontline in prayer for your children.

3. Figure out their love language. Every child is different and feels loved or appreciated through how you respond to them in love.

4. Our fast paced society is destroying the art of family meal time AROUND THE TABLE TOGETHER. You learn a lot. We talked about our day, did devotions, took turns giving their favorite “whatevers” as well as taking turns sharing good things about each other. This was family bonding time. It is truly worth the effort to make this happen even if it is not every day.

5. Always say sorry to your kids if you need to. There is nothing more healing to your child than saying “I was wrong”. This is good even for your adult children to say, “I’m sorry; I didn’t do a good job in such-in-such area.”

6. Just because you stay at home with your kids, doesn’t mean you are home with your kids. Quality time is more important than quantity time.

7. Use paper plates. It is worth the time you are saving.

8. Pray with your kids. Start the mornings in prayer. If they are getting out of hand, stopped everything and pray; and make it a long prayer, so they have time to cool down. Pray before recitals, big games, tests, speeches, ect. Ask for ability, calmness, clarity of mind, focus, and always give God the glory.

9. Respect your kids. Don’t embarrass them in front of your friends or their peers. Confidentiality is a big deal when it comes to your kids trusting you. If they don’t talk to you, maybe it’s because they are afraid you will be talking to other people.

10. For some reason our children loved for me to lay in bed with them at night and just talk to them. Even though there were things I needed to get done while the kids were in bed, it seemed this always ended up being precious time to hear their hearts on different occasions. And to this day, our grown adult children tend to gravitate to a bedroom where we all end up laying around on the beds sharing memories and hearts.

11. Be a good listener.

12. Input pieces of silver. Talk about God, His nature, His ways, His word, and give God the credit and glory in all things. Teach your children to make God their every moment focus. Let them see that in you.

Deuteronomy 11:18-19 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

**Photo via Hirst Imaging (HI)

Mother of Pearl | MOTHER SHIP BY MELODY MURRAY

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother’s Day blog series—a nine-day celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today’s best writers (Tricia Goyer, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, Beth Vogt, Lesli Westfall, and more). I hope you’ll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother’s Day.

AND . . . do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful handcrafted pearl necklace and a JOYN India bag. Enter at the bottom of this post. The contest runs 5/4-5/13, and the winner will be announced on 5/14. Contest is only open to U.S. residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info, subscribe to our blog, and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith to help support Pearl Girls™.

 
And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother’s Day!
~
Mother Ship by Melody Murray

Mother Ship (N.) – a ship that serves or carries one or more smaller ships.

Raising two boys in India is quite nice, really. We have monkeys, scooters, plenty of dirt, and mountains. The challenges are comical. I found very quickly on that if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. It’s been an excellent motto for our three years thus far, one I learned shortly after our arrival here in June of 2010.

We’d been in India for just three days when I had my first major meltdown. Our two boys, ages three and four, were sitting in big plastic buckets in our smelly bathroom, covered with mosquito bites, jetlagged as can be. I was frantically pouring cold water over them, trying to scrub off the India grime that had caked on their scrawny little bodies. I was having to hold them like puppy dogs so they wouldn’t scurry out from underneath the cold water. It was a far cry from the sweet, warm, bubbly, happy bath time we’d experienced together for the past four years in the States! Talk about culture shock. They were in shock. I was in shock. I’m sure the neighbors were in shock, too. I’m not sure my boys have ever seen me scream, cry, and stomp that much. Thank God it is just a memory now.

Somehow, by God’s grace, we’ve figured out life here. It looks much different than I had ever thought it would look, especially as a mother. We don’t go to the library, make elaborate crafts, play T-ball, shop at Target, sing in church choir, or take family bike rides. I have had to redefine my ideal upbringing for my children and have had to let go of many expectations. But I’ve managed to grasp hold of a new set of dreams.

My children are global kids. They have an incredible adventure every day. They see the “majority world” firsthand. I think they are some of the most privileged kids I know. I’ve stopped feeling sorry for myself that my kids don’t get to go to ballgames or have a huge tree house or wear cute clothes. Why focus on what I think they’ve lost, only to lose sight of what they’re gaining?

My attitude shift didn’t come easily. I can be quite stubborn. I clung to what I knew and what I thought was “normal” and “right,” as all of us moms do. I’d cry after phone conversations with friends back home who had their children signed up for karate, soccer, and swim lessons, with loads of choices for good schools, churches, and neighborhoods. I had nothing of the sort available for my kids, and I felt bitter and resentful.

But then I slowly began to change. Slowly, after months of getting over culture shock and cold baths, we began to love this place and the people we were with. We began to know them, understand them, become like them. Our community here became our family. Just this week, I’ve been sick with an awful kidney infection, and my living room has been full of my Tibetan, Nepali, and Indian friends, bringing me food, rubbing my feet, playing with my children, washing my dishes. I’ve never experienced community in this way before. My boys are loved so well by so many. And they are learning how to love back, even when it’s not easy.

My attitude shift didn’t come quickly, but when it happened, it took a 180°. I realized how wrong I’d been. These people I live with—their kids don’t have organized sports, church choirs, or fancy vacations either. Their kids aren’t signed up for after-school activities and aren’t becoming multi-skilled elementary school prodigies. Yet, in spite of this, they are content. Like none I’ve ever seen. They love each other. Like none I’ve ever seen. They have very little, yet they have so very much.

In the western world of comparisons and endless striving, I believe we sometimes lose touch of the things we actually care most about. I know most of us moms actually don’t care whether our children are the best at T-ball or whether their crafts look better than the next kid’s. But I think we all care deeply that our kids are loved, and that they know how to love. We all have a common dream that our kids will grow up to be world-changers, to strive for what is right, to love the unloved, to see the world in a different way. These are the deepest dreams of moms. So let’s not forget that the most important things we can give our kids are not the things we can buy them or sign them up for. One of the greatest gifts we can give to our children is to give them sails, let them explore new things, meet new people, and learn to make lasting change in this world.

So join me this Mother’s Day. Let’s all be “mother ships,” leading our kids to new adventures, new beginnings, new relationships. Let’s serve and carry our little ones to places they can only dream of, whether it be making dinner for a neighbor, smiling at the homeless man in front of the grocery store, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or moving to India. Let’s take them with us and teach them how to sail.

“A ship in port is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.” —Grace Murray Hopper

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In June 2010, an opportunity arose to work with a small needy community in the Himalayas, so David and Melody Murray and their two young boys packed their bags and moved to Rajpur, North India. Mel has grown JOYN, fulfilling her passion to connect artisans with western markets. They now have a diverse and growing team of Americans, Australians, Indians, Tibetans and Nepalis working together to create a community that strives to take care of each other and bring opportunity to as many as they can. Visit her website for more information.

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MY FINAL WORDS TO MY MOTHER BY LISA TAKEUCHI CULLEN

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother’s Day blog series—a nine-day celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today’s best writers (Tricia Goyer, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, Beth Vogt, Lesli Westfall, and more). I hope you’ll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother’s Day.

AND . . . do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful handcrafted pearl necklace and a JOYN India bag. Enter at the bottom of this post. The contest runs 5/4-5/13, and the winner will be announced on 5/14. Contest is only open to U.S. residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info, subscribe to our blog, and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith to help support Pearl Girls™.

 
And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother’s Day!
~
My Final Words to My Mother By Lisa Takeuchi Cullen

The day had come.

My mother lay pressed against her pillow, her skin like baking paper, her limbs disposable chopsticks. She had not moved or spoken for days.

In those last days we rarely left her side, my three siblings and I. Between us we had eleven children, the youngest my newborn, whom we had baptized a week ago right here by my mother’s bedside. The children tumbled and danced around the hospice floor, admonished by us to keep quiet, keep quiet! They had already said their good-byes to Nana. Now it was our turn.

The hospice nurses had told us of the final signs. She will cease to wake, even briefly. Her fingers and toes will turn blue. Her breathing will grow shallow and ragged.

Then we heard it. My mother took a breath. That’s all it was—a sip of air. We knew it was time. We rushed around her, my siblings and I, and all together began to sob.

And this is what I said to my mother before she died: “I’ll be all right, Mommy. Don’t worry. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be all right.”

Not “I love you.” Not “I’ll miss you.” Not “thank you for everything.” Why? I asked myself that night as I cradled my colicky newborn, both of us wailing. Why did I choose that moment to inform my mother of my own well-being? Why did I feel this was the very thing she needed to know as she drew her last breath?

It took me years as a parent to understand: As mothers, that is exactly what we want to know. We want to know our children are safe. We need to know they’ll be all right as they journey into the world without us by their sides.

I don’t know if my mother heard me. But if she did, I hope my final words eased her journey just a hair. That she believed and trusted in my well-being, and then let go.

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Lisa Takeuchi Cullen is the author of Pastors’ Wives, a new novel from Penguin/Plume, and The Ordained, a 2013 CBS drama pilot. Previously, she was a staff writer for Time magazine. Readers can friend her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @lisacullen, or visit her website at www.lisacullen.com.

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THE PURSUIT OF IMPERFECTION BY BETH VOGT

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother’s Day blog series—a nine-day celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today’s best writers (Tricia Goyer, Lisa Cullen, Beth Vogt, Lesli Westfall, and more). I hope you’ll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother’s Day.

AND . . . do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful handcrafted pearl necklace and a JOYN India bag. Enter at the bottom of this post. The contest runs 5/4-5/13, and the winner will be announced on 5/14. Contest is only open to U.S. residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info, subscribe to our blog, and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith to help support Pearl Girls™.

 
And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother’s Day!
~
The Pursuit of Imperfection by Beth Vogt

In my early mommy-ing years, I was all about perfection. I wasn’t going to be just a good mom—oh, no. I grabbed the virtual performance bar and shoved it way out of my reach.

It didn’t take long for that bar to come crashing down on my head. Perfection was toppled by the harsh reality that, at times, I was an angry mom. I hit my knees and begged God for forgiveness, for patience, for the ability to love my children one day at a time . . . sometimes one hour at a time.

I embraced 1 Peter 4:8: Love covers a multitude of mistakes, even altering it a bit so that it met my need. My version of 1 Peter 4:8 became: Love covers a multitude of mommy-mistakes. There was no way I could pretend that I was perfect, but I could do everything possible so that my children knew that I loved them, despite my imperfections.

Fast forward through toddlers and teenagers to being the mother of a twenty-something son, two late-teen daughters, and one (surprise!) elementary-school-age daughter.

During lunch one day with Katie Beth and Amy, my two oldest daughters, Katie Beth looked at me and asked, “Do you want to know what the best thing was about you as a mom?”

Did I? How could I say no to an unexpected “her children will rise up and call her blessed” moment? I assured Katie Beth I absolutely wanted to know the best thing about me as a mom. She looked at me and said, “The best thing about you as a mom was that you weren’t perfect.”

Oh. I admit I expected something . . . more. I joked with my daughter, telling her I wished she’d told me this sooner, as I wasted too much time trying to be perfect. We all laughed and the conversation moved on.

A few weeks later as a prepared a talk on motherhood and perfection for a moms group, I asked Katie Beth, “Can you tell me again why not being perfect was the best thing about me as a mom?”

She emailed me a letter that read: So many kids grow up thinking their parents are up on this pedestal. They think their parents can do no wrong, but then when they fail at something or make a mistake . . . it can tend to devastate those kids. Also, it taught me that being a Christian does not equal perfection. So many people think because they are a Christian they have to be perfect, and I learned from you that, while you are a very loving mother, you are not perfect. It helps me know you don’t expect me to be perfect. 

Our children don’t want perfect moms—but they do want to know we love them. And maybe by admitting we’re not perfect, our kids will avoid the perfectionist trap too.

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Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best is often behind the doors marked “Never.” After being a nonfiction writer and editor who said she’d never write fiction, Beth has proudly authored two novels, Wish You Were Here and the newly released Catch a Falling Star. Connect with Beth at bethvogt.com.

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When Moms Mess Up: It’s Never to Late to Start Again

“Mom,” my daughter exclaimed over the phone.  “I can’t believe it.  I shamed the kids.  I said I never would–but I did.  I was so irritated  I lost control. What should I do now?”

“Oh honey,” I responded, “I know the feeling. I never wanted to make that mistake with you either. I loved you so much I couldn’t imagine lashing out–yet I did. Go to them right away and apologize.  It’s never too late to start over.  Remember when I . . .’

As I shared a similar experience from her childhood, we both laughed.  It wasn’t funny at the time, but we could smile about it now.

I was aware again of the wonderful grace God gives moms, a second chance, a fresh start no matter how many mistakes we make.  Like the apostle Paul sometimes we do what we don’t want to do, and we don’t do what we say we want to do!  We can’t wipe out our wrongs, but we can acknowledge them to God, to ourselves, and to our children, apologize, ask for forgiveness, then roll up our sleeves and start again. I was also filled with the reality of God’s love for each of us. He gave us a second chance through Jesus Christ.  Surely, I thought, such a loving Father wants to redeem our parenting too.

Talking about a second chance, however, can be quite different from living it. I can think of numerous ways I’ve failed–being impatient with a child who needs a little extra time to tie his shoes, angry over spilled juice cups, irritated with little girls who fuss about clothing and little boys who don’t care enough about what they wear!  None of us has been the perfect parent. But God is with us, guiding us to make things right again. Following are some suggestions straight from the Bible.

1.  Admit our wrongs.

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…(Acts 3:19).

2.  Trust that honesty–even when painful–builds healthy intimacy.

I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity (1Chr. 29:17).

3.  Face your flaws and failures with humility–and humor.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom (James 3:13).

4.  Release your mistakes to the Lord. Focus on his healing.

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you (Psalm 9:10).

Restoration is not for the arrogant or the prideful.  It is for moms who are willing to admit their faults and to bring them to the Lord for healing.  It is for parents who want no less than all that God has for them and for their children. 

Then we will know first-hand the truth of Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

—

 

 

DAUGHTER SING SOFTLY BY LESLIE A.WESTFALL

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother’s Day blog series—a nine-day celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today’s best writers (Tricia Goyer, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, Beth Vogt, Lesli Westfall, and more). I hope you’ll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother’s Day.

AND . . . do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful handcrafted pearl necklace and a JOYN India bag. Enter at the bottom of this post. The contest runs 5/4-5/13, and the winner will be announced on 5/14. Contest is only open to U.S. residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info, subscribe to our blog, and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith to help support Pearl Girls™.

 
And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother’s Day!
~
Daughter Sing Softly By Lesli A. Westfall

Along with the visit of winter comes the wet, dull, silent days and gray landscape, even in Southeast Texas. On the other hand, there is always a turn between the seasons. The brightness of spring is just around the corner. And God, in His unique, loving way, proves to us a sign through the things we love and when we need it the most.

I love birds, truly, any kind of bird! However, one of my favorites is the cardinal. It’s indigenous to some parts of North and South America. An attractive bird to say the least! Bright red feathers, black bill, a metallic chirp with a sweet, crystal clear melodic song . . . and my most favorite feature, for the most part, the male and female are always together.

For the last two weeks, right outside our bedroom at daybreak there has been a cardinal singing, loudly, wakening me morning after morning. In the deepest sleep, I would hear the bird’s song, and smile, knowing God is near. The daily morning concerts continued. Then, one particular day for my daily devotion, I opened my Bible and my eyes fell upon this scripture:

“. . . one arises to the sound of the bird, and the daughters of song sing softly.”  Ecclesiastes 12:4

Wow!  How personal God truly is to you and me. He knows how much I love birds. The little feathered beings always reminded me of the Creator. He placed it in a strategic place to sing, then He led me to His Word and gave instruction for the moment: while waiting for the desire of my heart to become a mother; daughter, sing softly. In our waiting the Creator of life desires for us to worship Him.

In doing a word search about the cardinal, I found some interesting characteristics. The word “cardinal” originates from the Latin word “hinge.” A hinge helps a door or gate to turn. Could this sweet bird be a sign there is a turn in the change of seasons of our lives? Could the waiting to become a mother or answer to a long awaited prayer be a turn from winter’s silent, dull barren landscape to spring?

I believe He is saying to us, “As the season turns, Daughter . . . sing softly!”

Scripture for reflection: 

“Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.” Psalm 86:17

A prayer for the day:
 “Heavenly Father, I ask that you show me a sign of your goodness! I need it Lord. I thank you for your faithfulness to me, even in the littlest things. Comfort and help me as I wait upon you for the desires of my heart!” 
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

(All scripture from The Holy Bible, New International Version, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1991.)
 
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Lesli Westfall, author of Dancing Upon Barren Land, enjoys her moments in life by teaching cooking and etiquette to children, finds pleasure in spending time with family and friends, traveling and eating dark chocolate!  Most of all, she enjoys sharing God’s love and teaching His Word to women. She is happily married to her man of faith, live-in comedian and best friend, Larry, of twenty years. Visit her website.

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Loaves and Fishes

This was my first morning in charge of the Preschool Sunday School, so I arrived a bit nervous about how it would all go. But the children filed in easily and were cheery and, for the most part, attentive as I sang some songs with them, then told the story of Jesus feeding the multitudes with loaves and fishes. Once we had finished the main portion of the lesson, and each child had their “loaf” [large cracker] or “fish” [small cracker] as a snack, they settled into their coloring project. At this point a flustered mom walked in with a clearly disgruntled little one. He entered no further than two steps into the room and then slumped into the corner. His mother said a few words to him then left. He responded to my questions enough for me to get his name tag on him and then, when I asked if he wanted a snack, he nodded vigorously. He did not, however, budge from his silently scowling position. So I pointed out his place to him and returned my attention to the others. After a few minutes I saw him sliding along the edge of the room in the general direction of his seat. A few minutes later I called the children over to the carpet for another activity. By this point [Scowling] Stephen had made it to his seat and was devouring his cracker. I gave him a few more and began the next activity. The service ended early, so we did not have time to finish the last activity before parents collected their children. When Stephen’s mother came in, I handed her the bag of crackers I had remaining. “This was the only thing that got him out of the corner,” I explained, “so I thought you might want to take the rest of them?”

She thanked me profusely and explained that it had taken them 2 hours to get there, due to an unexpected bus delay. She had promised him they would stop for breakfast on the way, but then had not had time. Thus the scowling arrival ☺

As we biked back home, I was telling K about it. She always has a wise perspective on things, and her response was “You never know what the back story is behind and outside appearance, do you?” I agreed. And I smiled as I remembered how she had gone back to buy food for a homeless man as we had stopped for our own breakfast break earlier that day. It left me grateful for the people like K in my life.

How to Avoid Temptation

Feeling tempted?

We can’t live on this earth without temptation. We can’t go through a day without temptation. I’m thankful for the many sermons over the years that have reminded me, “Having temptation come is not a sin, it’s what you do with that temptation.” Knowing that has helped me turn to God instead of guilt when temptation comes.

Yet is it possible not to be tempted in the first place? I think it is.

This morning I was reading the Lord’s Prayer in Luke 11:2-4, and the last verse stopped me:

“Forgive us as we forgive everyone else. Don’t allow us to be tempted,” Luke 11:4 (God’s Word).

Now I know I’ve read this verse dozens, if not hundred of times, but today God’s Spirit said, “It’s for you, today.” I love how God’s Word does that. It’s active and living, and can minister to us every day we we open it.

According to James 1:13, God does not tempt any man, but according to Luke 11:4, temptation is also something we can pray against. The enemy of our souls will tempt us, but I picture God putting up a forcefield around us, keeping those temptations from coming close.

The thing is too often we forget to pray for this forcefield of protection. More than that, too often we’re the ones bringing temptation close. We buy the cookies, we entertain the thoughts, we play with the emotions, thinking we have it all under control. Until it comes to the moment we are weak, and we fail. It’s then the temptation does come, and instead of turning to God, we turn to sin.

How to Keep from Getting Tempted:

Limit Access:

It’s important to keep what we crave far away. I have a choice not to buy Cinnamon Poptarts, Reeces cups, or bake chocolate chip cookies. I have a choice not to accept a friend request from an old boyfriend on Facebook (or any of his friends, who will continually resurrect memories).

The 15-Minute Rule:

You can deny yourself that cookie or that TV show for fifteen minutes. Once those fifteen minutes go by, continue to walk away. Continue to pray.

Be Realistic:

If you finding yourself primping a little bit more than normal because there is a guy at church who is “oh, so nice,” then you better steer clear of him. If you find yourself justifying a television show you feel guilty about watching, be realistic about it. The guilt is there for a reason.

Talk to Someone When the Temptation Comes:

Does your spouse know your struggles? Then turn to him when you need help. Have a best friend who’s willing to pray? Shoot an email or a text.

Recognize your Tendency to Sin:

James 1:14 says we are tempted when we are enticed by our own natural desires. You wanna not do everything right all the time. We all do. But because you’re human, that’s why God sticks around, ready to help.

Read God’s Word and Pray:

The more you fill yourself up with the good stuff, the more the bad stuff gets pushed out of your mind and heart. When you fill yourself up with God’s Word, it goes to work for you, battling temptation. Check out Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Repent When You Mess Up:

I’ve failed many times, and I always find myself turning to God. I’m also learning to seek forgiveness from those I hurt—like my spouse, my kids, and my friends. There are times when I’ll stand at the crossroads, considering a temptation, and knowing I’ll have to confess if I follow through stops me in my tracks. And I’m thankful! Repentance is wonderful, but choosing purity—not to sin—is even better.

Practice Making Right Choices:

The more you choose rightly, the more you get into a habit to do so. Temptation doesn’t have a fighting chance if you refuse to even consider it.

How about you? How do you keep temptation far away?

WATER SPOT MOTHERING BY CYNTHIA RUCHTI

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother’s Day blog series—a nine-day celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today’s best writers (Tricia Goyer, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, Beth Vogt, Lesli Westfall, and more). I hope you’ll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother’s Day.

AND . . . do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful handcrafted pearl necklace and a JOYN India bag. Enter at the bottom of this post. The contest runs 5/4-5/13, and the winner will be announced on 5/14. Contest is only open to U.S. residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info, subscribe to our blog, and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith to help support Pearl Girls™.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother’s Day!

~

Water Spot Mothering by Cynthia Ruchti

For years, a friend and I met weekly for prayer and Bible study. More than twenty years older, Jackie often prayed for her high school children while I prayed for my toddler children who were supposed to be napping.

As any mother will attest, when we get serious about praying for our children, we can find plenty to pray about.

Jackie and I often laid our Bibles in front of us, open on the table. The day I learned the meaning of water spot mothering, Jackie and I had prayed intensely for our children and their wide variety of crises—large and small. We prayed about their uncertain futures and the certainty that God loved them even more than we did. Tears formed, unbidden, as we poured our hearts out to God.

A series of whispers from the stairway told me my children had found dozens of ways to bypass their naps. But they’d grown to respect the time I prayed with my friend. Even at their young ages, they waited patiently for the “Amen” before interrupting.

When Jackie left and life pulled me into other things, my Bible remained open on the dining room table. I walked through the room a short time later to find my four-year-old daughter Amy kneeling on a chair, tenderly flipping through the pages of my Bible. I knew she was unable to read more than the simplest words on the page, so I asked, “Amy, what are you doing, honey?”

Her answer resonates now, decades later. She said, “I’m looking for the tears.”

She knew I’d prayed for her. Finding the water spots, the tear stains, meant something to her young heart. She wanted to see evidence that my prayers for her had moved me to tears.

How triple true that would be through her teen years! We were just getting started on the water spot mothering concept.

I’ve relived that scene many times since that afternoon. My daughter bent over my Bible, her tiny hands turning the pages reverently, her eyes searching for a wrinkle in the page, looking for the assurance that I cared so deeply, prayed so fervently, and wasn’t afraid to let the tears fall on the sustaining resource for parenting and all of life—God’s Word.

Water spot mothering. Praying with the Bible open. Letting the tears fall on the pages.

I wear the picture of my daughter kneeling on the chair, bent over my Bible, close to my heart, like a silver locket I click open to remind me of my primary responsibility as her mom…even now.

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Cynthia Ruchti tells stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark through her fiction, nonfiction, and speaking events for women or for writers. Her recent release—the novel, When the Morning Glory Blooms, observes the heart-and-faith journeys of three eras of unwed moms. Her July release—the nonfiction book Ragged Hope: Surviving the Fallout of Other People’s Choices—touches on life circumstances that send us to tear-hemmed prayer for those we love. Connect with her at www.cynthiaruchti.com, Facebook, Twitter, or other network spots.

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Beauty from Weakness

Poet and songwriter Fanny Crosby once wrote, “Oh, what a happy child I am, although I cannot see! I am resolved that in this world, contented I will be.”  As humans, we are prone to weakness. Our emotions can get out of control, and our priorities can slip backward. Our mortal bodies are susceptible to diseases and injuries. Fanny Crosby was blind from infancy. To think God had plans for Fanny to pen more than 1,000 hymns seems impossible, for her lack of sight was quite an obstacle to overcome.

Part of the Christian life is the calling God places upon us, and often that calling seems impossible. But God uses our weaknesses to draw us to Him. For when He requires something of us beyond our ability, we are forced to depend on Him and only Him to complete the task. Our emotions and priorities cannot be relied upon, nor can our physical bodies.

When we completely surrender, He will use our weaknesses, our blindness, yes, all our frailties to become something beautiful for the Kingdom of God.

I’d like to know: How has God used a weakness of yours to build His Kingdom?

*Photo credit: Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net