DAY-VOTIONS FOR MOTHERS EXCERPT

day I

too little resting,

too little nesting

It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late,

and work your worried fingers to the bone.

Don’t you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?

Psalm 127:2 (MSG)

What mom hasn’t uttered the words “Hurry up!” to her children? From toddlers to teens, my children heard those words fly out of my mouth far too many times. Were they poking or primping? Was it my time management? Or my kids’? My own expectations? Or others’? Regardless of the cause, the days seemed to shrink as the hours clicked by far too quickly.

I know Im not alone. Is there too much “hurry” in your life? Too much pursuing and too much doing? Too little resting and too little nesting? The executive mom, driven by the demands in her ofice, exceeds the “need” limit continualy. The young mother juggles frantically her sixty-hour workload to make ends meet. Husband and wife wring their hands and arrest their hearts ine xhaustion.

Is there another way? God says there is. Tired bodies cannot function on high-speed frenzy forever. Obviously, we cannot turn back the clock. Time never stands still, and we all face similar struggles. Others need you, whether it’s your children, husband, employer, neighbor, or friend. But sooner or later, something has to give. Moms have needs too.

There is no “one-size-fits-all” time solution for mothers. Children’s needs are uniquely different, and trying to nourish their spiritual, emotional, and physical needs require resources beyond our contol. Then add everything else we as moms try to juggle. Is there a boundary line? How do you say, “Enough”? Even sleep eludes us, and we find our minds racing through the night, desperate for solutions to our dilemma.

God will give every mom the resources she needs

to accomplish what he wants for her to do.

I remind my daughters often that some things will change through the years, that sleepless nights of feeding, changing, rocking, and crying will pass away (do I hear an amen?). But even as the kids grow, we as moms can always find activities to fill the gaps and accompanying worries to zap our energy in the process. If we make a habit–and a lifestyle–of hurrying and worrying, everyone loses.

God will give every mom the resources she needs to accomplish what he wants for her to do. In the meantime, he says our overscheduled, undernourished lives get us nowhere–nowhere near to his ideal for us. Even as we sleep, cannot God who knows us inside out produce wisdom, rest, creativity, and solutions if we rest in hisi provision, not our own?

If we work for anything, let it be that we wok to nest–in his rest.

DAY-BREAK

Think through a typical day’s activities. What things can you subtract? Any priorities you should add? See how many times you can eliminate the word “Hurry!” this week.

DAY-BRIEF

Wrestle less; trust more.

DAY-VOTEDLY YOURS

Lord, forgive me when I try to cram too many hours into one day. Thank you for reminding me that as I rest in you, my children will sense my refreshed spirit as well.

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