Dear young mother....there will be days!

Here I am 30 years into this marriage and mothering thing and I still don't have a clue! I sometimes wonder if I was even paying attention in class. Was I listening to all those wise words of wisdom from wives and mothers who have walked before me? Was I listening to the countless messages brought before me as I sat in the pew? Was I listening to His still small voice when He said..."I've got this!"? Did or do I trust Him? After all that I know....Would I do it all again? If I could go back and warn that young mother.....What would I say?

Dear young mother....
There will be days when your breath is all you have. Why? Because you have poured every once of your being into the world that surrounds you.
There will be days when serving such selfish people will seem like a waste. But hang on! It's not!
There will be days when you feel invisible...God sees you!
There will be days when you ask..."There has to be something more...right?".....There is!
There will be days when all you want is 5 minutes of quiet to sustain you....it will come.
There will be days when that man you married will become a man you may not like or know....Love him anyway! He does love you!
There will be days when your grown children will pull and tug on you as though they are 5. It's because of that unconditional love you have poured into them. You will always be their biggest fan!
There will be days when you beg God for a change....He will! In His time!
There will be days when you are just so overwhelmed that even your breath is fighting against you! Lean into Him!
 There will be days when after wishing they would just give you a few moments of quiet that they may not speak to you for days....This dear mother is heart breaking but you will get through it!
There will be days when waiting up just to hear them come in becomes your night-time routine...they may not come in and it will be hard! Know that God is working!

Dear young mother....I'm sure there will be many hard days and long ones too! Days wondering if all you have poured into them has even made an impact....It has! You may not see it now but God does have a plan!

Dear young mother if I could tell you anything of value to help you walk this road ahead, it would be one word...Jesus! It's at His name that everything changes. Everything becomes new. Everything becomes right! I may not have all the right answers at the moment but I know the man who does. He has been my life sustaining voice during this whole journey. My rock! He has carried me through the good times and the bad. He is the reason I am on this journey of motherhood. A ministry that I was chosen to do. Many days I feel so inadequate . Are you sure God I am the best person for this job? Every time the answer is YES!

Let's face it dear mother....Life is hard! It's not going to be all that you thought it would be. It's not always going to be what you would have liked.  That's the mystery of Life! The unknown! If someone had told me about all the hard days ahead ,Would I have still continued? I can honestly say YES!!!!! Yes, because all the good that God has done outweighs all those hard days. The hard days have molded me into the woman that God meant for me to be. I don't always like that woman! She could always do better. But God loves her! He trust her with the life she has been given. He thinks she is the best woman for the job!

So dear mother you have been warned! Are you listening? That fairy tale life you thought you should have, it doesn't even compare to the one God is writing! So go now and snuggle with those babies....they grow quickly! Go and love the man you have been given...he will grow old! All those chores and bills that consume your time....it will be there later! Go and do life and keep doing life!

Because if I could....I would do it all again!