additional thoughts on mother's day and stress

first posting: Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day for me is also like a sort of New Year's Day. I consider my influence, my attitudes, and my interactions with my children. Do they point my kids to Christ? Am I doing Deuteronomy 6:4-9? What are my shortfalls? How can I improve? And I'm always stricken at the level at which I am so unqualified to be "mom" to these precious little lives. And yet, God has called me to the task . . . a task that only HE is qualified to fulfill.

Whew!

In my evaluation this year I realize that there is too much stress in our home: stress from moving from homeschooling to children being at school 9 hours a day 5 days a week; stress from being in a new country and learning the language; stress from being so far away from many who we love so dearly and who would be excellent influences in our children's lives; stresses of our belongings being in crates somewhere between Dallas and Fort Worth Texas; stress of constantly saying goodbye to people God puts in our lives and who become so very dear to us and to our children; tremendous stress of much sickness in our family and then just the everyday stress of the busy life of a family of 6.

We have little to no control over these circumstances - - but letting these produce anxiety in our homelife is a choice. It may not always seem like a choice because anxiety/distress is a default of our sinful natures, but it IS a choice. And it is a choice that robs our lives of joy. And, as Nehemiah said, the joy of the Lord IS our strength.

So my Mother's Day resolution is that, even in this very stressful environment, we are filled with His joy . . . the joy of knowing Him, the joy of being His own possession, the joy of opening His Word and being filled with Him. And to be filled with the peace that passes all understanding. God is a God of peace, He Himself is our peace, and we are to let the peace of Christ RULE in our hearts.

I want my kids to learn the power that can be theirs in Him! The Lord grants us peace in every circumstance - - and I am guilty of robbing myself and thereby robbing my children of that peace when I have chosen to be anxious. Sorry God for limiting my children's perception of your power by allowing stress in our home.

And so my "Mother's Day resolution" is for peace.

(Robert's going to think I've gone all hippie now!)

Happy Mother's Day! (CALL YOUR MOTHERS!)