What an interesting season, or should I say year, this has been! It seems like the fog may be lifting, just a bit, and we are (very slowly) beginning to adjust back to our “normal” life. I have a suspicion though, that this whole season has thrown your “mom game” for a loop, as it has done with mine!
I think we as moms have become a bit more distracted – understandably so. We have been anxious to know the latest news about schools reopening or coronavirus, wondering if we can listen to the kids fight one more time, and giving into the fact that we should just roll a bed into the kitchen and just sleep there- we’re there enough! There has been more screen time for the kids…SO.MUCH.SCREEN.TIME! This is a collective cry I hear from so many fellow mamas. It’s the space where you find yourself between a rock and hard place- should I let them play and keep a clean and quiet house, or do I refuse and let chaos ensue. Can anyone relate?
The Lord has really started to nudge me (gently and lovingly, as He always does) in my run for distraction- on my days where I have just checked out and gone into survival mode with my kids.
You want cookies for breakfast? Fine!
You want another show? Done.
Cereal for dinner? YES!
Just give me a few moments of peace, please! And good ol’ fashioned bribery to have a moment of silence is on the table as well!
But then I feel it – Jesus calling me – bringing me back in – saying “Don’t miss this time. There is beauty in it.” With God, there can be absolute, breathtaking beauty in every season, no matter the depth of our pain. I know this, or have heard of this, but I resist at times. It feels messy and like a lot of work to figure out. It means I have to be intentional, and sometimes, I’m just not in the mood. I realize I am going to need to seek Jesus and ask Him what his idea of thriving in this season looks like. However, my flesh wants to punch my time card “in” and “out” for the day (And sometimes first thing in the morning!) and just do what it takes to get to bedtime.
Here’s the thing- God sees us and He knows. He knows we are tired, worn down, and wondering how long we will have to juggle uncertainty. Maybe we are making some choices about our children’s education we feel forced into. Maybe finances have been really tough – maybe we feel sad and lonely and don’t know where to begin. Can I encourage you with something today? Give you a glimmer of hope in a hurting world and season? You don’t have to do it all. God has given you one job in this season- press into home. Embrace this season. Meet with Him.
So, now you are thinking, “Great, Krystle. That sounds nice. But what does that mean? What does it look like?”. I get that. I want to share what God has placed on my heart. I recently heard a song called “Graves into Gardens” by Elevation Music.
There was a line in it that said, “The God of the mountain, is the God of the valley.” Mama, most of us feel that we’re in that valley so deeply right now. The good news is that He is not afraid of the valley and meets us there!
“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:10
I want to zoom out of our valley for a second and get a big picture look. We are in a “valley” or “season” right now – but we will have many more seasons. In fact, the Bible says that we will face many trials during our lifetime- this is definitely one of them! Then the Bible goes on to say, to consider those trials pure joy! You may be rolling your eyes at me, trying to figure how you are going to conjure up some joy in your season- that’s where we can get it backwards! We don’t muster up joy or force joy into our minds and hearts, we receive joy just by walking closely with Jesus!
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. “ James 1:2-4
Pressing into home in this season looks different for every family puzzle. But it is worth it! My home won’t look exactly like yours. But there should be a similar thread that interweaves between all of our homes as believers- seeking Jesus. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us; help us to have patience, help us to pour one more bowl of cereal, help us to smile and give affection to our children, help us to break up one more sibling squabble, help us to rise in the morning (or as we get in bed for the evening) and read God’s sweet words in the bible, help us to have a kind word to our husband, help us to not be afraid and fearful, and the list goes on. Then we believe in God for all these things! Jesus is the shepherd of our hearts and He deeply cares for our cares. He is a personal God, and this is His precious message that gets lost sometimes as we journey motherhood. He is for you, friend!
I will leave you with this. Pray more. Read your Bible more. Praise and worship more! When fear, anxiety, or doubt creep in, do it all even more. You can never exhaust or dry up your spiritual well you have in Jesus! His mercies are new every day! He wants to comfort you, guide you, teach you, and love into the mama and woman He created you to be in this season. Don’t miss it. There will always be some kind of crisis and valley, but we have an unchanging God who is constant. And what’s more, is that He cares for you as if you were the only one on the planet. You are a true, beloved daughter of the Most High. So, don’t miss this sweet opportunity to know Him more, and to let His love overflow right out of you and onto your little family! Press into Jesus and home this season, and watch your joy increase both as a mama, and as a family.
With Love,
Krystle P.
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