Get Encouraged

Since God has so generously let us in on what he is doing, we're not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times. (MSG) 2 Corinthians 4:1

I absolutely love this version of this verse! How many times as a mom have I wanted to throw my hands up and walk off the job? I can't count them. Occasionally, I declare a Mommy-vacation where everything is let go for a day or a week, then I return to normal.

It's not because I don't love my children. No, loving them is the easy part. Snuggling with them. Talking with them. Playing with them. Those are the fun things. But, they are not the things that make up the bulk of motherhood (as if I had to tell you that!) It's all the work that comes with motherhood that is repititious, redundant, and unappreciated that makes me want to throw my hands up and quit.

There are hard times in motherhood. For some reason, I was totally unprepared for these hard times. I was also unprepared for the constancy of hard work and lack of control of my own time. These three things sometimes rush in all at once, crashing over my head and overwhelming me. Like being caught under a wave in the ocean, with another on the way and undertoe trying to pull me down, I struggle to catch my breath, much less make headway.

I am more than grateful for verses like this one found in 2 Corinthians that can speak to me and act like a hand pulling me above the wave, helping me to get my footing, and hang on until the deluge is over. God is there waiting, He never moves, and all I have to do is continue to reach up and rely on Him to provide everything I need. He has given me this task of raising these four invaluable gifts and He will equip me to do so. And for that, "thank you" doesn't seem adequate.