We all have those proud mom moments when our children surprise us and make us look like the mom of the year. You know... that rare family dinner out where all of the kids display their best table manners with no whining or crying and they remember the magic words ... “please” and “thank you” and the waitress and the table of elderly ladies behind you congratulate you on how well-behaved your children are. And your chest swells with pride as your imagination plays a movie of the Mom’s Choice Awards and they call your name. Your children jump to their feet. Your husband plants a big one on your lips. The crowd goes wild. You walk to the stage and pull out your pre-written acceptance speech.
Then suddenly you feel a tugging at your arm. “Mommy!” The tugging continues. “Mommy!??!” You look to your left. You shake your head and blink your eyes a few times. “I have to go potty, Mommy!” You’re quickly brought back to reality and gladly take your little one’s hand in yours and head off to the potty. Then ... there are those not so proud moments. You’re standing in line and you’re little two year old innocently declares, “That old man is ugly!” Or ... like the moment my four year old, standing on the church steps with the most distigueshed, godly men at your conservative, Baptist church, grabs his daddy’s hand and says, “Come on daddy, let’s go to 7-11 and get us a beer!” Yes. That actually happened. And, I must add ... I assure you, he and his daddy, never before (or after) “went to 7-11 to get themselves a beer.” These are the moments that any mom deserves a respite! A get away. To rejuvinate and be encouraged. To be with other moms who understand and can sympathize. To learn tools to help them through those long, seemingly endless days (and nights) of motherhood. To learn to bask in the messes and enjoy each stage that one day will be a memory. The PERFECT opportunity for such a respite is happening on July 31 - August 2, 2014 In JACKSONVILLVE, FLORIDA. It is the Southeast’s BETTER TOGETHER Conference for MOMS, MENTORS & MINISTRY LEADERS. With powerful keynote messages and over 40 workshops that will meet YOU right where you are. Laugh together. Cry together. Pray together. Learn to together. WIN ONE FREE REGISTRATION BY SIMPLY LEAVING A COMMENT ($49 VALUE). *Note: Does not include transportation to Jacksonville, or lodging. For more information and to register, click her http://www.themominitiative.com/conferences/2014-better-together-m-o-m-conference/ I will be conducting two workshops, and look forward to seeing what God has for me (AND YOU). And ... the best part is ... if you register before December 1st, it’s ONLY $39* *Hotel accommodations extra - BUT, special M.O.M. Conference rates are available. Don't delay! Bring your church. Your MOPS group. Your Bible study group. Or ... just yourself. I'll gladly be right there with you! This weekend, I'm Blogging over the M.O.M. Initiative...
The reigning champ of getting my two year old daughter to stay down for her nap, I was savoring the taste of sweet victory as I plunked myself down on my comfy leather couch. I inhaled a deep sigh of relief, ready to enjoy a much anticipated respite. My sigh of relief; however, was quickly interrupted by an eerie silence that seemed to suddenly settle into our home. Careful to not wake up my daughter, I quietly called out to my boys. READ MORE... Recently, with a tear streaked face, I told the Lord, “Okay, here’s the thing God. I’m struggling right now … with trusting You.” I paused for a few minutes looked at my Bible that lay open on my lap and read a few verses. Then, in brokenness and sobbing, I cried, “Okay, it’s not that I don’t trust you, God. I do trust you. It's just that I don't trust that you will work things out the way I feel like I need them to be worked out!"
If God spoke audibly, I probably would have heard a resounding, holy “Well, DUH!” That’s usually the way it is. If we’re honest, we simply want things to go our way. It’s like the viral You Tube video where the little boy asks his mom for a cookie. He says to his mommy, “I – I – like you, but I don’t like you all da time, I like you when you give me cookies though.” We trust God as long as He’s giving us all the cookies we want, but when the cookie jar dries up and things don’t go the way we would like, our faith is shaken and we begin to wonder if we can really trust God, or worse yet, if He's truly trustworthy. For some of us, “trust” is a very hard verb to apply. Yet, it is the very thing that can reverse the effect of adversity in our lives. The adversity that the enemy meant to harm us is the very same adversity that God uses to bring about the greatest change in our lives. Joseph understood the effect of adversity by declaring to his brothers, “what you meant for evil, God meant for good.” The reality is, the more we know God the more we can trust Him … even on those days of uncertainty and human frailty. And, the only way to get to know Him is to spend time with Him -- by seeking His face. How long has it been since you sat at His feet ... just you and God, basking in HIS presence … in expectation … longing to hear from Him? My favorite method of spending time with the Lord is, “reading until He speaks to me.” When I long to hear His voice, I turn to the books of Isaiah, Colossians, Romans, Hebrews or James and I read … until He speaks to me, and then I make a note of it. The truth is, the more you hear His voice, the more you’ll long to sit at His feet. And the more you sit at His feet, the more you’ll get to know Him. And the more you get to know Him, the more you’ll be able to trust Him even when things don’t turn out the way you think they should or hoped they would. Like Needing to be in control of every aspect of her life, Michelle shares what God used to break down those walls and drew her into complete dependence on Him. To contact Michelle, email her at [email protected]. |