Skip to main content

4 Things Every Mama Needs To Do


 

Eight and a half months pregnant with our first baby, I moved 1000 miles away and in with family friends so I could be closer to my Knight while he would be in training for a few months in DC.  After being there just 2 days, I went into labor- 2 weeks early- while my Knight was still in Texas, waiting to board an airplane to join me. And so, long story short, I had our first born son without him.

I remember holding that precious little one afterwards.  There are no words to express the emotions that surge through a new mom.  Wonder. Love. Exhaustion. Love. Love. And even more Love. And awe.

Then it hit me. This little guy was solely dependent on us! The heavy thought settled in.  What are we doing? What were we thinking? We don’t know what we’re doing! We are responsible for this child 24 hours a day – we can’t drop him off with his parents – we ARE his parents!  Do we even know enough to keep him alive? I had taken care of my 21 nieces and nephews countless times, but this was different. This child was mine. I was his mom. And so my mama-journey began.

I wanted to do this mama-thing well. This little life was placed in my care and I had the awesome responsibility to direct how he would see life. To shape his views and beliefs. To point him to the Savior.

I read every mom book I could find, attended retreats and went faithfully to both women’s bible study and church. It sparked in me a desire to do well. To do good…then better…then best.  As Elisabeth George puts it, “Good, better, best. Never let it rest, until your good is better and your better, best.”

4 Things Every Mama Needs To Do:

1. Pray. Then pray some more. Ask God to grow you to be a godly mama. This is not something you can do on your own. You need the Spirit’s leading and teaching.

2. Faithfully attend church. Make a commitment to be there. Being spiritually fed on a regular basis is so valuable to every area of your life, especially as a mama!

3. Join a bible study. Get involved in a group and study the word with other women (or couples). Small groups are where friendships are made and application is turned into action.

4. Read books and blogs that inspire you to be a better mom. This is an avenue to be mentored daily, right alongside messes and mayhem, without even leaving your home.

So what about you? How did your mama-journey begin?  What emotions filled you as you held your firstborn? What do you do that helps you in your mama-journey?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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
3 comments
Read more

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
4 comments
Read more

Life Interrupted

I attended a Priscilla Shirer Simulcast this weekend. I’m fairly certain that God told Miss Priscilla what to say just because I would be there. Even the words of the songs and the words Anthony Evans spoke I’m sure were divinely orchestrated all for me. How does He do that?! The topic was “Life Interrupted”. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like interruptions. If I have exactly 30 minutes to pick up a few items and then get home to have supper ready, I’m not too thrilled inside when an interruption happens. Someone calls out my name… and wants to chat. Or the car won’t start. Or there is a line at the store. Sometimes the interruptions appear on a larger scale. Loss of employment. Chronic illness. Financial struggles. Strained relationships. Or when God overlooks your plans and sets His own in motion. These interruptions can leave us feeling anything from annoyed to abandoned. Jonah 2:8 offers a warning to us in the middle of our whining. “Those who cling to worthless idols t
3 comments
Read more