Mother's Day

In all my rantings last week about grocery shopping and disappointment, I failed to mention some of the blessings that were everywhere. Blessings always are, you know- everywhere- we just have to have our eyes on right to see them. On Monday, out of the blue, my oldest daughter Allie set a card table in our bedroom with a beautiful tablecloth, candles, and rose petals for my husband and me to enjoy our dinner. She made up a menu- Restaurante Romantica- with choices like "water" or "wateretica" if you wanted extra romance. :) She served us downstairs, while she and a neighbor helped feed the children upstairs. We had a little mini-date right there in our own home on a regular Monday night. It was lovely. Friday night was date night at church, a night when we get super-cheap babysitting services for a few hours. We were sitting in the beautiful Big Spring Park downtown, noticing one man on his laptop in one spot and another man playing a guitar in another spot. The man on the guitar started playing, "You Make Everything Glorious", a praise song by David Crowder Band. The man on the laptop looked up and smiled, and said, "Thank you for playing that. I love hearing praise music." The guy on his laptop was studying his Bible. I think he was a pastor preparing a sermon for Sunday morning. He was black. The guy playing the guitar was white. It was just really neat to be in the middle of our beautiful city on a Friday night and see things like that going on. God is everywhere. He is mending relationships, redeeming the lost, truly making all things glorious. On our way home after picking the kids up from church, we got to pull over and watch a colorful fireworks show happening at Joe Davis stadium. Oh how I love fireworks. They just seem to shout "Hope". It was a great way to end the week. With hope.

My sweet family has also worked hard to make today special for me. They went out last night and got me some decaf coffee from Angel's Island, because so often I want just a cup of coffee after dinner but I don't usually have any decaf on hand. Everybody except Sam made me a card :), and Allie painted me a picture of Penelope on canvas. They also bought some local art at Angel's for me to enjoy. They truly know what I like. Today they have been cleaning the kitchen while I rest. Brian is taking care of Samuel while I blog. My cup runneth over, for real. :)

I love Mother's Day because I believe that the position of motherhood is so undervalued in our society, and I'm thankful there is a day to celebrate it for the honorable thing that it is. A mother who seeks God in raising her children and who strives to teach them His ways is so rare you almost never see it. I'm fortunate to know some of the few surviving women like this, and I want to encourage it with all that I am. Motherhood is a pretty big deal. The quality of generations to come will be determined by the quality of today's mothers. We can't afford to take this task lightly. We need to celebrate mothers, support them, honor them, pray for them to work diligently and with perseverance. If you no longer have children in your home, make it your aim to come alongside a younger mother and support her in Biblical womanhood. Praise her for her faithfulness to the Lord. Encourage her to press on to know the Lord's high calling for her life. Remind her that what she is doing is important. Love on her and embrace her in true Titus 2 fashion. Mothering is hard. Sometimes all a young mother needs to hear is, "You're doing great. Keep it up!" I've been blessed this week to be on the receiving end of some of that encouragement, and hopefully I have passed a little on as well. A dear mother friend of seven and I met together to pray over our children and families while walking and enjoying the sunshine with our kids. She sent me a sweet card in the mail later in the week to encourage me. Another beautiful friend of mine popped in one day with a bag of spa goodies and uplifting card to love on me and lift my spirits. I prayed that God would be true to His promise to "refresh those who refresh others", and asked Him to bless my friends. Then I took that encouragement I had received and sought to pass it along to fainthearted mothers I knew. I believe that's what it's all about. Just passing it along, spurring one another on to love and good deeds. The Bible instructs us to encourage one another daily. Mother's Day gives us a great excuse to follow that command.

Happy Mother's Day, you precious dear mothers. A promise from God's Word that has renewed my strength so many times is one that is particularly for those with children. In Deuteronomy 33, right after God blessed the tribe of Asher with children, He promised, "As thy days, so shall thy strength be." God has promised that with the blessing of children, comes the strength to handle each day. He does not give the strength and ability before the baby arrives, but when this blessing comes from Heaven, He also sends His daily strength. What a promise!