Skip to main content

Something of Substance



My oldest had a birthday yesterday. He turned 26. It seems like just yesterday I was home with him and his brother. Surrounded by mounds of laundry, runny noses, toys everywhere and wondering if I would ever be “somebody.”

Then I read this post by Sarah Mae. I just can’t get it off my mind. “I want to teach and influence and encourage moms one day, but I don’t just want to relate with them, I want to have something of substance to offer them that will help them practically.”  

Yes! We as moms need to have this goal. To live through mamahood and have something of substance to share with the next generation of moms. As moms we like to gather and talk. Share friendship. And adult conversation. (We crave adult conversation!)

But if all we are doing is small talk, there is no real impact made. No inspiration to be better moms. No encouragement to keep training with clear direction. We need substance.

In order to have substance to share, we need to dig in, narrow our focus and raise those little ones with intention. Not just for today. Not just for this week or year. But for the long haul. Raise them to be adults who love and honor God. Adults who are used by God to do His will.

But narrowing our focus is hard. We feel our talents are going to waste. We miss our hobbies. We want to be somebody, do something significant in this world. But we are.

The calling as a mom is huge. It is eternally significant. And it grows us while we are in the trenches, doing the mama work. God will take care of growing you to be ready to be somebody later. Right now you are somebody. You are MOM.

So, young mama, keep it up. Keep going. Don’t get sidetracked, keep your focus. You are raising little people who will become big people that God will use. And then when you sit to visit with other moms, you will have substance to offer them. And they will be encouraged.


How has a been-there-lived-to-tell-about-it mom helped you? How do you want to be like that one day?

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Little Car and Learning to Trust

The telephone woke us. It was 1:15 a.m. Our oldest son was on the other end. “We need you to come pick us up. We hit ice and wrecked your truck. It’s not drivable.” My heart stopped. Relieved he and his wife were ok, I sent up a prayer of thanks. I jumped out of bed and gathered flashlights as my husband donned his coveralls, Carhart, hat and gloves. It was 31 degrees, a warm night for January in South Dakota. I sent up another prayer of thanks. Then I settled into my routine of pacing and praying. It’s what I do when I’m concerned and can’t do anything to help a situation. The phone rang again. It was my daughter-in-law. “I just need someone to talk to while Jeff is outside checking on the truck. I’ve never been in a wreck before. It is good we were on the bridge when we spun, otherwise we would have probably rolled.” I was so glad to hear her voice. So glad she was ok. She told me about what happened, then went on to tell me about her day. It had been her special day. Her Chr

Busy But Bored

Bored. To my mom it is a four-letter word. In our home growing up, a chore was promptly assigned to whoever dared to use the "B" word. "There is never an excuse to be bored. There are so many ways to entertain yourself. If you're bored, you need something to do. Now go clean the toilets." This is just one of the many valuable lessons mom taught me. Thanks, mom. Even though I have been trained to not use such language, the "B" word has come to mind quite often lately.  I'm bored. Bored physically. Bored mentally. Bored spiritually. (I seriously hope my mom isn't reading this or I might be cleaning until Ground Hog Day!) My days are busy, busy, busy, filled with three part time jobs, being a wife, mom and pastor's wife; so having nothing to do is not the problem. Most weeks I need an extra day or two just to make it to the end of my to-do list. Busy but bored. I used to sense God's call on my life; dream of the things He would do thr

Move Your Faith From Private To Public

Have you ever wondered about the Bleeding Woman in Mark chapter 5? While we are on the subject, I seriously think we should consider giving her a name, that’s not something anyone wants to be known as. Maybe we should call her the Woman of Faith... But back to the subject. Or maybe it is part of the subject now that I think about it. I’ll get to that in a bit. Instead of receiving healing and going on her merry way as I often do, she moved to a position of worship in front of Jesus. Her faith compelled her to go to Jesus for healing and her faith also compelled her to worship Him publically. I don’t mind God knowing about all my junk, but I don’t necessarily like anyone else to know. Are you with me? I tend to want to only show the good and keep the bad and ugly hidden away. Keep it just between God and I. To move in front of Jesus and publically worship for healing meant others would know her problems and that she needed healing. She opened herself up to the eye of