For the last two days I have reflected on being a mom and what that means to me. I had a wonderful day yesterday. I actually had a wonderful day Saturday too which is when we chose to "celebrate" Mother's Day. But since yesterday was the actual day on the calendar the celebration kind of carried over. I woke up yesterday to my precious husband and son wishing me a Happy Mother's Day. It was wonderful first of all not to be the first one up but also to see those beautiful faces smiling down at me what a gift! So we headed off to church and I enjoyed many "Happy Mother's Day" comments from friends at church and returned the greeting many times too but I wasn't really struck by the weight of it until we were asked to stand up if we were a mom. Now I got to participate in this little tradition last year since I was very pregnant but it was different this year. I kind of hesitated before standing and then when we sat back down I turned to Jeff and make the comment, "That was weird." I mean I often have those moments when I am going about my day and the thought just hits me that I'm a mom. I normally shake my head and smile at the thought, amused that I am still surprised by my role. Well yesterday I couldn't really shake the thought since the whole service was about being a mom.
During the service yesterday our pastor and his wife discussed the different aspects of being a mom and of course one of those is responsibility. This is the part of being a mom that I seem to get lost in sometimes...all of my responsibilities. I get lost in my chores around the house, my schedule for Eli, preparing his meals, preparing our meals, making sure I am teaching Eli all he needs to learn and exposing him to all he should be exposed to and then not exposing him to negative things. Sometimes these responsibilities become more of a burden and can start to weigh me down which usually gets taken out on Jeff. So mom's have responsibilities and lots of them but I was reminded that if I am walking close to the Lord then all of those responsibilities fall into place. Challenge to self: stay close to the Lord, walk with him daily, cast my cares on him.
The other aspect of motherhood discussed yesterday was opportunity. This is the aspect I tend to overlook. I mean there are days when I marvel in the wonder of being a mom and am amazed by how Eli just grows and changes and just knows how to do things I know I didn't teach him. The opportunities God has given me actually balance the responsibilities God has given me. I mean God has given me this wonderful opportunity to watch his miracles everyday. He's given me the opportunity to make a real impact on society through the life of my little one. He's has given me the opportunity to be used by him to train Eli in "the way he should go" not my way but the way God has chosen for Eli. This has definitely changed my perspective on the day to day responsibilities. Yes I am sure they will still get mundane at times and frustrating but my prayer is that I will view them as opportunities. I have been given the opportunity along with my husband to love and raise this beautiful little boy who has the most wonderful personality. I pray that we will teach him to love and serve the Lord. I pray that we will take each opportunity everyday to let him know he is loved and that God has a purpose for him. I pray that one day we will have the opportunity to pray with him as he begins the journey of a Christ Follower. Being a mom can be overwhelming sometimes but just as often as it is overwhelmingly hard it is overwhelmingly wonderful.
I love you Eli...more than you know!
